Resident Evil 0: Beginning Hour (R)
by DisclosedBarrel
Summary: STARS Bravo Team's Rebecca checks out the Escliptic Express, at the same time Umbrella's Delta Team tries to control the situation behind the derailment and the outbreak James Marcus caused. Bravo Team has to cooperate with Delta Team to get to the root of the problem. Two teams that lack trust are tested when they trudge through the mystery behind the mansion incident's prologue.
1. Black hawk down

**DisclosedBarrel**

**Due to constructive criticism, and my general disdain for this story, I will now be editing this story to suit your expectations and my peers. This is just a taste of what's to come. I will run it all through Grammarly and leave it at that. POOF! This part of the story is done! I hope you enjoy it, the rest will soon follow. :3**

**I will re-edit the rest of my shorter stories and then the larger ones. I'm afraid I will not be coming back to this story until all the other's are done. Please forgive me. I want it all to be completed to the best of my abilities before I move on to the next original story. That being Resident Evil 3: Nemesis!**

**Take my advice: be careful making roleplay fanfics/stories into actual stories. It will mess you up in weird ways. :)**

* * *

ALASTAIR LEWIS (PROLOGUE)

A mid-western town in America, Raccoon City. A solitary island far off in the sea, Rockfort Island. An island that would become the second Raccoon City, Sheena Island.

There are still many unanswered questions about these seemingly unrelated and yet intensely traumatic events. Although it would later become known that the international pharmaceutical enterprise, Umbrella Incorporated had a hand in these incidents.

Little is known to the origin of this faceless corporation. When was it established… by whom… And how was the T-Virus created? In order to understand and answer these questions that would lead to the eventual downfall of Umbrella and exposure to the world of biological organic weapons; we must delve back in time before it all started… before the mansion incident.

Somewhere on the outskirts of Raccoon City, above the Arklay Mountains. Thursday 23rd, July, 20:17 pm.

Seemingly average train miles into the forest outside Raccoon City, one filled with decently-minded individuals; they were the first ones to go when devastation occurred. A small hill hidden away by the thick trees and bushes was occupied by a man clad in white robes. He sang as if he was the main lead in a 90's opera. His tone was angelic and full of youth. It rose in volume and reached the skies above and the train below.

In the fifth cart, the upstairs dining area was a simple man in a suit, all alone with nothing more than a newspaper. He heard singing from the hills outside and looked through the window; the rain drummed on it regularly. He didn't know what to think when he saw the outline of a person on atop a hill, singing like he was in an opera.

Other than rain, something latched onto the window. A blob. Something with a gaping mouth and teeth. It was a leech, a leech with piranha-like teeth. A dozen more followed after, covering the window with gelatinous blobs of brown. Then two dozen.

Then they landed on top of the roof. The man was scared and left his seat in fear; people started to scream. The leeches broke through the roof and some of the windows, biting and covering people with their superior numbers.

Dozens of terrified people battled each other to get away through the doors and windows; no one was safe. The drivers were swarmed, and then the train slowed down to a soft halt. Minutes passed, and the train was still motionless. Surrounded by death, the screaming and crying stopped shortly after.

Four hours later, somewhere above Arklay Forest.

REBECCA CHAMBERS (PROLOGUE)

It was just a simple murder investigation in the suburbs of Raccoon City. Then as the night dragged out, the details suddenly took a bizarre turn for the worst. Something about missing people and acts of cannibalism. Nothing in our training could've prepared us for the nightmare we got involved in. We never stood a chance…

Bravo Team's helicopter was a simple one with the STARS logo pressed on the bottom. The pilot was soft-spoken Kevin Dooley and their protective co-pilot Edward Dewey. Behind them were the team's captain Enrico Marini and their marksman and demolitions expert Forest Speyer.

Opposite them were three seats on each side, the right side remained empty. On the left was Kenneth J. Sullivan, a mild point man, recon and positioning expert. Communication guru Richard Aiken, a typical nice guy. Lastly, at the window was the rookie Rebecca Chambers, their chemist and medic.

Forest Speyer, expert marksmen and demolitions, and the essential bad-ass of the Bravo Team rocked his head back and forth in a slight head-banging fashion, the musical score of _Highway to Hell _blasting in his ears to the point where he could still hear what was going on.

Despite almost being thirty, the man looked like a rebellious teenager with his studded earrings, long mullet, and fingerless gloves. Eyeing over at the newest member of the team, Rebecca Chambers; he gave her an encouraging grin.

"Still feeling a bit nervous, Rebecca?"

Enrico Marini, Bravo Team leader; glanced over at the two with a hardened stare; the man not one for idle chit-chat. As a former SWAT leader; he typically figured that talking before a mission was about to go down would lead to becoming a distraction that wasn't needed.

He kept to himself on this, however, since not everyone in STARS was hardened combat experts with years of experience. Not only that, but the R.P.D.'s psychiatrist did recommend that conversation before missions did lead to less tension and stress that would endanger said mission.

The helicopter's engine suddenly malfunctioned after a deafening _katchow _and then bursting into flames. All personnel felt the altitude plummet, and the nose of the cockpit dipped down. Kevin pulled back on the helicopter's throttle and gave it all he got. The damned thing was coming down.

Enrico jumped into action, pushing past Forest to demand to Kevin "What hells going on?!" He growled in frustration, finding out the engine failed. "Kevin, set us down!"

As the rotors of the helicopter knocked against one of the tree branches; causing the helicopter to lurch downward. Kevin, despite all odds, was able to pull and set down the chopper into an open field; the engines slowly dying down as the spinning chopper slowly came to a halt.

Enrico sighed deeply. "Damage report."

"The engine's completely fried," informed Kevin regretfully.

"Fuck's sake."

Rebecca took repeated deep breaths; she opened up her eyes, letting out a sigh of relief. This was not how she had thought her first mission would start; it was not a good sign. Once Enrico ordered them to pile out, she followed all the others out of the helicopter. Just before exiting the helicopter she turned around and looked at Kevin giving him a thumbs-up, then she went over and joined the rest of the Bravo Team.

"Too many trees," Kenneth grumbled in his old-man voice. His hand wavered around his holstered weapon. "We're off our destination coordinates, aren't we, Captain?"

"Unfortunately. We'd best fan out the surrounding area." Enrico pulled out his Beretta M92 and led the five of his teammates out further into the woods. The Arklay forest had enveloped a hazy fog in this summer heat, making it difficult to make out anything.

Their combat boots hit the terrain of the moistened summer grass of the forest, each one of the STARS team could feel the unease during the problematic exploration. Following suit with the rest of the group, Richard felt the sink of his boots in muddy spots, as the soft squish of the wet patches of grass caked his black boots.

After awaiting further orders like the rest of the members, nothing changed.

Richard was torn between partnering up with the much slower Enrico or the more anxious Rebecca. He could only spare her an encouraging nod of his head before he chose to stay in the middle of the group. Everyone started spreading out into different directions.

Rebecca followed Enrico's orders as she moved a few feet away from the others and began to walk through the dark, spooky forest on her own. She kept her eyes peeled as she scanned the darkness for any clues. All that was obvious were the trees ominously placed everywhere, making the forest denser than it should be.

After what felt like only a few minutes, she could make out what looked like a vehicle just ahead in the darkness. As she grew closer, Rebecca recognised the shape as an overturned jeep. She whistled, hoping to get everyone's attention. Then she noticed dead bodies…

Their corpses were torn apart and still halfway in the black van with the large white letters of M.P. It was as if they were attacked and ripped out of their vehicle, slowly having their bodies plucked away until death.

The wrecked military vehicle, appearing like one of those cans in the supermarket you didn't want to buy.

The beam of the light pointed in the direction of broken trees upward to an inclined hill that somehow must have rolled over down the embankment and tossed the van like a beanbag across the woods.

"I found something!"

Ken was the closest to Rebecca and ran over to her. Despite his old age; he was quick and more than eager to look into her inquiry. "Anything useful?"

"A clue..."

"Everyone, on me!" Ken yelled.

Enrico and Forest showed up and examined the dead men. Both lifeless. Most of the flesh on their faces and arm were torn asunder. Bite wounds everywhere else. Bizarre murders, nothing much could be said.

Following orders, Edward fanned out with the rest of his team away from the chopper. A brutal car accident involving a military transport vehicle, with shards of ejected glass all over the dirt and grassy wooded area that gleamed under their flashlights.

"Captain," Rebecca gasped.

Enrico turned his head. "What is it?"

Rebecca picked up a clean file. This manifest was a good clue, but it harboured something horrible. "Court order for transportation," said Rebecca as she read out the manifest, "Prisoner, Billy Coen, is to be transferred to the Regarthon base for execution. Due to the fact that the transport will travel through the Arklay mountain, extreme caution is warranted. Prisoner is considered to be completely insane and… dangerous."

Richard and Edward stood behind Rebecca, listening carefully as she carried on.

"Prisoner, Billy Coen – ex-lieutenant, twenty-six years old. Court marshalled and sentenced to DEATH, July 22nd."

Edward knew in another world; this sight would have sickened him. Like Enrico and a couple of others; he was familiar with the art of war. This angered him, with the murders of Raccoon City and Arklay residence community, no wonder the people were restless for answers. This could be where their mission _truly_ begins.

His stomach turned, as the waiver of death lingered in the air. Edward snatched the manifest from Rebecca, and it immediately made him angry.

Edward was a man of not letting his emotions get the better of him, but these men were innocent, had families and jobs, probably kids. Edward watched too many people die on the field. He snatched the manifest from Rebecca; his soft muttering was sombre and not in the best of moods.

"Those poor soldiers; they were good men just doing their jobs, and that scum murdered them and escaped."

Enrico pillaged the manifest from Edward's hand and read it for himself. Made his stomach crawl, knowing the odds against him and his team. When all of his subordinates stood by waiting for orders, he had the right words to say.

"Alright everyone, let's split up and survey the area. We have a dangerous fugitive roaming around these woods, a murderer by the name of Billy Coen. I want you all to exercise extreme caution as of now."

"And if we find him?" Edward asked.

Enrico chewed on his next few words. "Dead or alive."

Rebecca could see the anger in Edward's eyes; she believed that he was thinking of the latter- that being shoot to kill. Rebecca couldn't blame him though, these men were doing their jobs, and the way Billy left them was just overkill.

"Keep your guards up and be careful."

Edward had nodded his head approval like, as the group dispersed and went their different directions. He thought of his favourite rifle in the chopper cabin; he decided to head back. Edward figured Kevin was bored out of his mind, figured he'd debrief him of the recent happenings. Richard decided to join him.

Kenneth knew he was out of range to call to his colleagues, the trees were too plentiful, and the bushes were too much. The fog was thick enough to cut with a knife. Couldn't handle the cold like he used to. He pulled up his radio and decided to warn the team of the density of the forest. He had to pull out his gun and flashlight and check further out into the trees.

Edward and Richard went to grab their equipment from the chopper, oddly Kevin Dooley wasn't to be seen, but figured he was taking a leak in the woods. Edward was inside the cabin, undoing the compartments safety features handing the radio communications officer his assault shotgun from the cargo hold.

Due to military carry restrictions implemented a year or so ago, they were scarce on ammo, and weapons. That was one of Capitan Wesker's questionable choices, partly with Chief Irons also. The two of them made small talk and decided to stick together and wait for Kevin.

Rebecca slowly walked through the woods as she checked around every tree and listened for any sounds. She might have been a little too fast for Ken to keep up, but she rests assured, knowing that he was close by.

As she checked to her right, she heard a noise behind her. She let out a scared sigh as she quickly turned around to where the sound had come from to see no one, but there was a train that was now in her view.

"A train…"

She approached it very slowly. Of all the things to find within the forest, a train was never one of them. Once the weather took a turn for the worst, the rain came out of nowhere. It was probably the best call to make to investigate inside.


	2. Boarding the dead train

_The re-opening of the Executive Training Centre was not going at all to plan. It was supposed to be a simple, clean and purge operation of the abandoned facility, and then a quick assessment of the equipment and wares. Like every operation before, there were complications._

_Two Investigation Units sent in to re-open the facility. The first unit was to search and destroy; the second was to access the facility itself. With the first unit going dark and the second killed while on route, both were marked K.I.A._

_Albert Wesker and William Birkin took ownership of the operation and had the aid of the U.S.S. General Dorian Savage. With the strange reports of leeches throughout the entire facility and the Ecliptic Express, it was time to take control of the situation._

_Dorian suggested starting at the minor leech infestation that plagued the Ecliptic Express; his Delta Team was ready to commandeer the train. It was only a matter of time before they complete the operation, only it would be by themselves. If all else took a wrong turn, he himself would handle the issues personally as a last resort._

_In a small monitor room, Wesker and Birkin were sat at a wall of monitors; Savage was stood behind them in his most excellent black suit. They had to either re-open the facility or scrap it all entirely. Though new problems arose... An R.P.D. STARS Team was investigating the area around the Ecliptic Express; the elite police force would make things harder than necessary._

_"Looks like your little piggies are sticking their noses where they don't belong, sir," Dorian snidely behind Wesker with folded arms._

_"Simmer down, General," Wesker said with steepled fingers, "Their involvement is only a minor inconvenience."_

_"Apologies. I'm just anxious, Wesker, I've been stuck inside all week."_

_"You'll have plenty of time to stretch your legs if the operation goes awry," Birkin promised. "Our principles are in jeopardy, and, so far, that's unacceptable."_

_"I have my finest operative on the Ecliptic Express; she will not fail us."_

_"Your Delta Team is in position," Birkin added._

_"Start the train," Wesker said to Dorian._

_Dorian scratched his chin. "Operating large machinery was not part of their resume. It might take a while..."_

_Wesker turned his head right and grumbled lightly. "See to that your team gets to it quickly and without error. We need the Ecliptic Express moving again if we are to contain this... problem."_

_"Understood. have faith in my dear sister."_

_"Be sure to keep her close."_

Rebecca had entered the train and took a look around the first cart she was in. There were bags and papers all over the place. The seats appeared to be stained with blood, and the lack of people bothered her. There were dead bodies all around, mostly between the seats and windows. They never had a chance…

She thought about trying to see if she could reach anyone on her radio, but figured she should get more information as to what happened if she carried on a bit by herself. She made her way over towards the door on the right, although, it was locked at the moment.

Rebecca had slowly made her way down the cart in the opposite direction of the locked dining car. As she reached the next door, she slowly opened it entering the carriage. She heard what sounded like voices nearby.

"This is Officer Chambers from STARS Bravo Team. Please Identify yourself." "No answer came her way. "Is anyone there?"

She slowly approached the sound. Rebecca looked down, seeing the sound had been coming from a radio. A gasp escaped her mouth once her eyes fell upon the dead corpse. Up close; they looked dreadful. Rotting flesh. Pale complexion. Fresh…

Rebecca picked up the radio from the ground and shut it off. When she felt something moving behind, her heart dropped. The moaning corpse stood up and reached out for her. It was strange because she was sure it was dead… She had the perfect opportunity to run back where she came but was stopped when two more of them was coming at her.

The idea of retreating was out the window as the two corpses ahead barred her escape. With the one behind her already shuffling behind, she pulled out her handgun turned back around. Rebecca locked it within her sights.

"Stop, or I'll shoot! "

The corpse didn't waver, nor did Rebecca's handgun. She fired a round at its right knee in an attempt to immobilise it, but it didn't even notice. Then another round struck the left shoulder. Again, it didn't react the way she hoped.

"That was a clean shot..."

While the corpse shuffled to her, Rebecca took a deep breath, allowing to give herself some time. Clearly, words weren't going to cut it, so she fired true. After the next round struck its chest, she followed through with a shot to the head while it flinched.

The first target fell back in the nick of time for Rebecca to dash forward to face the two behind her. The corpse wasn't like the people they dressed like. Casual. Ready for work. Each of them was torn up and smeared with blood. Faces completely disfigured.

Rebecca took more time to adjust herself, allowing some given time to identify the situation. She knew her biggest problem was not giving time for herself to make calculated decisions. She fired at each of the corpses' centre mass. Each of them flinched with the odd moan.

She would love to study what was wrong with them but had to put that aside to put them down. Luckily a shot to the head distinguished them, removing them as a threat. Even a second shot was necessary. The one in the back lurched backwards, the second one dropped to its knees and fell down to her feet.

Rebecca kicked the corpses head; it was unmoving, only the occasional twitch gestured the odd flinch from her. "What just happened? I-I thought they were dead..."

_There hasn't been much movement in the monitor room. Wesker and Birkin stared at the only monitor that was switched on. They were flipping through various channels watching several areas of the Executive Training Centre and the Ecliptic Express. Dorian's Delta Team was in place; four operatives were in the cart with the controls. Their captain was the one to relay back to him and the others in the monitor room._

_Dorian's earpiece buzzed. "Any luck starting the train?"_

"Negative," the younger woman said, "The engine controls are kaput."

_"I see…"_

"We have the tools to get the train moving, but it will take some time."

"_Get it done as quickly as possible."_

_Wesker reared his head back. "Problem, General?"_

_"There might be complications overriding the controls."_

_Wesker nodded. "That could be a problem. The admin has long since _retired _and is quite unreachable; no doubt left the train in disarray."_

_Dorian pressed down on his earpiece again. "Captain, do what you can to start the damned thing. We need it moving ASAP."_

"I'll do what I can," she said before she went silent.

_Dorian let go of his earpiece and watched the same monitor Wesker was fixed on. Some STARS members were getting real close to the Ecliptic Express, and one is even on board. The rookie. "They're getting close, Wesker..."_

_"They will be separated soon enough. Only a matter of time."_

_"And if they still persist?"_

_"Instruct your team to use lethal force, just to be safe."_

_Dorian smiled. "With pleasure."_


	3. Zombies and monsters

The way behind was clear. Rebecca turned around and carried on her investigation, minding her magazine capacity of five rounds. When she heard some sound of life in the form of hushed discussions, Rebecca skimmed past the two doors on her right and then around a corner. She saw Ed. Ed's dead.

"Edward!" Rebecca cried out, putting a hand over her mouth. She turned her attention to a muscular man baring a tattoo; he stood over Edward's body. "You criminal scum! _You _killed him, didn't you?!" she shouted, pointing her gun at him as she fought back the tears.

Billy winced in disappointment, watching the last bit of life ebb out of the STARS member was just tough. The injuries he had sustained being far too much for him to cope with. "I'm sorry..." He did know why he was apologising; it was mostly due to empathy. Billy couldn't help being a bit sympathetic for the man's pain, or that the man died thinking of him as a killer. Felt like he could've done more to help.

The rain poured down harder on the windows outside all of a sudden, though it was more than just rain and thunder. Something was banging against the window behind Rebecca. From the rise in tension, no one noticed the shift of sound changes until that window smashed into pieces. Several grabbing hands reached inside, hoping to drag and pull something out into the forest.

They were people like the dead ones inside, only still walking; their arms covered in bite and scratch marks. They were pushing and shuffling into each other trying to pluck Rebecca out like a cash prize, leading with their sharp teeth and raspy snarling. Their eyes set on Rebecca's tasty likeness. Billy pried her free from the flailing limbs, so much without a thank you once the arms pulled back.

He raised his hands in a peaceful gesture; surprised at seeing another person as young as him, caught up in the train business. He stared at the hysterical, accusing face of a young girl who barely looked like she was out of her teens; tears streaming down her face and a gun pointed at him.

"I don't know what happened to your friend, but I didn't kill him," Billy denied truthfully, certainly not having wished death on the STARS member who was doing his job.

After hearing Rebecca' reaction and Billy's response, another man stepped forward, one wearing a baseball cap. "Yeah, he didn't..." His response was cut short as another barrage of hands at the girl. Rebecca let out a shriek as the window was so close by her shoulder. She felt cold hands grab her neck.

She saw Billy point his gun in her direction and closed her eyes, thinking that the man was gonna take advantage of the situation and kill her. She heard the gunshot and felt the hand released her neck as she fell to the floor.

Rebecca's eyes shot open realising he stopped the thing that had grabbed her neck. She quickly spun around, firing rapidly, scattering the looming figures outside. As she started to recover from what had just happened, she pulled herself to her feet.

"You… saved me?"

"Again..."

She muttered, looking over at Billy. Maybe her friends were wrong about this guy. What if it was one of those things that tore apart the MPs and not Billy? Even so, she was still hesitant to trust the guy. Billy was still a criminal, but for now, she was very grateful to him for saving her twice and would give him the benefit of the doubt in return.

Doing so, Billy took the opportunity and walked away. This left Rebecca with the other couple. They introduced themselves to her but urged how they were just as lost as Rebecca was, only being a brother and sister trying to survive. They were more than comfortable to stick with Rebecca rather than Billy, considering he was a criminal and all.


	4. Plot thickens

Inside the engine car, Benton had his hands buried inside the train's hardware. He was crouched down while finagling the wires at the back, trying to find the main circuit board. He took off his gas mask to see through the darkness within. He felt a jolt of electricity jerk his hands back, eventually shaking the pain aside.

"This bites. I'm not the most suited for this work, Lieutenant."

Staring out the windshield, watching the rain, Lieutenant Blake glanced down at his subordinate, "Just get it done, Brett," he commanded through his one-cylinder breathing mask.

Benton shook his head and went back to the wires. "Hey, Lieutenant, got a joke for ya. What kind of train eats toffee? Met with only silence, he chuckled to himself. "A chew chew train," he said with a half-grin, another chuckle to himself.

Blake slowly glanced down at him, not amused. "Finished?"

Benton paused at what he was doing and glanced up at the man. "What?"

"I will literally feed you to _her _if you say something that stupid again," he warned coldly.

Benton, trying to hold back a laugh, diverted his attention to the task at hand. "Tough crowd," he said to himself as his arm was then buried inside the console, reaching for the back circuit board.

Just outside the small engine cart was the third U.S.S. member, Martin was standing guard when Blake came out, leaving Benton alone inside. He took a glance around and noticed _she _was missing. "Where did Captain Daemith go?"

Martin just shrugged. "Scouting? I'm not complaining; she freaks me out."

"All the more reason we shouldn't have her as our captain," Blake said as his attention diverted to the sound of gunshots coming from inside the train. Possibly survivors. But they had orders and they knew better than to go against them. "To be under the command of that freak is not what I signed up for."

"And a woman at that," Martin replied.


	5. Convicted felon

Smoke billowed out of the barrel of Billy's handgun. Silence fell upon the middle carriage. He gazed down in disbelief at the dead, rotting corpse he just put down. The twisted flesh and bone on the occupant's face alone was tough to digest.

Billy couldn't say it, didn't want to admit it out loud. Doing so would be admitting that what was before him, was real despite it being the source of horror movies and originating from the 8th century. Back when the talk of the living dead was no more than dead people walking around and eating the living. The zombie.

He figured he could try his luck outside and left the train, not caring for whoever was behind him. The fuzz was out to get him, and any extra baggage would be a considerable inconvenience.

Rebecca was ready to leave the train. There were a few corpses down the middle between the seats; they must've been walking around recently… Her radio beeped, she hoped it was good news.

She stopped in her tracks to get the radio switched on. "This is Rebecca. Over."

Rebecca could only make out enough words to identify the caller as Enrico, with a partial thanks to his distinctive voice. The static in between words was dense but ceased shortly after.

"Enrico! Hello? Can you read me? Please respond!"

"_Rebecca, I can hear you." _Rebecca brought the radio closer to her ear, listening to Enrico speak. _"Listen up. We have detailed information on the fugitive from a document from the wrecked wagon. Billy Coen killed as many as twenty-three people. Over."_

Rebecca whimpered softly. "Twenty-three people..."

"_We have also confirmed that he was institutionalised, so keep your guard up. Can you hear me Rebecca? Over."_

At this point, Rebecca could only stare off into the darkness outside. The windows. The blood on the nearby seats. She was a bit scared if she wasn't already before. Her bottom lip quivered.

"_Stay alert Rebecca: he won't think twice about killing you."_

"Enrico! Captain? Hello? Hello?!" Rebecca couldn't get the radio to function correctly. It was on but just not cooperating.

"We heard all of that," said Jared, "It's not good news, is it?"

Rebecca sighed. "No..." She looked at the woman behind Jared; his sister was only about Rebecca's age and height.

"You see, we were never with that guy at all. We bunkered down, and then he found us, just said he was a prisoner. Then your buddy crashed through the window."

"His name was Edward; he… he was my friend."

"I'm sorry, Officer. When it all happened, all he could say was that the forest was full of zombies and monsters."

"It's worse than I thought..."

Rebecca led the lost siblings into the next car. There were some stairs to the left and a sliding door dead ahead – a kitchen was seen through the glass window. Jared went to open the door, but it wouldn't budge as the light above it was off. He and Rebecca assumed it was electronically locked. Evie gave Rebecca a clipboard just as the door they came through opened.

Billy, being a bit of a tall, dark stranger, strode slowly to the stairs. "It's gonna be dangerous from here on in. How about we cooperate, while we're all here?"

Sensing the scepticism from everyone in the room at the idea of working with a convicted felon, Rebecca stepped forward. "Cooperate with _you?_" she said, with a little grain of salt.

Billy leant on the stair's bannister. Nonchalant. "Listen, little girl, in case you haven't noticed but there's seriously freaky shit on this train," he said, walking up the stairs, "And I, for one, want to get out of here. I don't think we stand a chance surviving all split up." He leant on the bannister, staring down at the children below.

"You expect me to trust _you, _a wanted felon? I don't need your help." Rebecca put her hands on her hips, thinking about how she could protect the couple and herself at the same time. She couldn't do it alone but had to hide her inexperience. "I can do this without you, so just get outta here. I have enough to worry about as it is."

Been there, done that. Little girl, maybe you haven't been listening to me. There are monsters everywhere. We need to work together."

Rebecca tried to puff her chest and glare at Billy, even pointing at him. It could come across as cute, but she tried her best to show courage. "Don't call me 'little girl'."

Billy went to reach out to Rebecca as if she was a little bunny needing a good stroke. "All right, Miss Do-it-yourself, what should I call you?"

"The name's Rebecca Chambers, but that's Officer Chambers to _you."_

Billy went back downstairs, brushing down the wooden frame with his hand. "Well then, Rebecca. Why don't you carry on while I wait here." Billy folded his arms and leant on the back door. Smug. Waiting for a response. "I'm not going anywhere, not with all those monsters outside."

"Fine then, but after we get out of this, I'm taking you into custody," she added, pointing the finger at Billy, "no tricks."


	6. Conspiracy

Alexis barged through the door to the engine cart. Her bit of reconnaissance paid off; she established that there were four people on board. Two men, two women. This was unacceptable. She brushed past Martin and entered the control room.

In the control room, Alexis just received a message from Dorian. _Use of lethal force is authorised. _This sent shivers down her spine. She was a researcher by trade, not an assassin – at least not by choice. She decided to relay the message to her subordinates in due time.

It was hugely important to get the train moving and to reach the heart of the situation quicker and easier. There were several ways to repair the control panel, but there were just as many that could render it completely useless. She decided not to rush Benton.

There was a problem that shouldn't be ignored. Although General Savage allowed lethal force to be used on the nosy people, she would instead use it as a very last resort. She wasn't an unhinged animal like he is. Somewhat ironic, since she's half mutated lizard and half human, but that wasn't the case.

Plus, the gunfire has ceased for a little while. She believed the problem would sort itself out since they needed the bullets for the mission. The train was more important than the body count. She may have a rivalry and a bit of disgust for her superior, but she had a job no less.

Alexis had Benton sort out the train's controls in his own time since the Lieutenant was rushing things like an amateur. A full reset was in order, and she didn't want the joker to muck things up beyond repair.

It was going well once the right wires and circuit boards were put in the right places. The controls were responding and allowing full access. They were on time, that was a bonus. All they needed to do is find the ignition and full speed ahead. Benton was good with all that wiring at least.

She liked seeing men work, felt like she had power in this huge corporation. The Lieutenant was an ideal soldier, though, utterly forgettable. Once you've seen one cold-mannered veteran in Umbrella, you've seen them all. The other sergeant was quiet, almost like he was a ghost.

Expected all of her subordinates to act the same. Although, she enforces uniform while on the job; she didn't mind seeing Benton's human face time-to-time. Alexis waved the Lieutenant and the other sergeant to stand guard outside. She waited at the terminal patiently for it to reboot. Closer to Benton.

_He's so close to my leg… _Alexis never saw a scruff like Benton's, he was taller than most men. Looked like a hunk from one of those female choice calendars, at least that's what she pictured if he had less armour… _No, this is my livelihood. I'm a freak — an abomination. We're from two different worlds._

She folded her arms, waiting for the terminal to load necessary information_. _A hard reset took longer than a simple logging off. _Brett has more humanity in his left hand than I do in my whole body, how could I work with humans knowing they joke about my expense? I don't like feeding on humans; they're too gritty, I love people food. I relate more to humans than Hunters._

_What I don't share is his scorn for humanity; I have hope and faith in them. When I do, they joke about me, or they discriminate me. Because I don't use brutality to get my way, I have to work with and alongside them as if they were my brothers and sisters. That's why he's general of the entire U.S.S. and a part of the Council. I'm just a captain, a few pegs lower._

_I should try and be like him or even HUNK; I do try. The mission comes first, no room for error... Then again, they don't have the problem I do... I have my humanity, they don't. How ironic... We're all killers, but I'm the one with a conscience._

_Bet my opinion would change if I were a part of Alpha Team or Wolfpack. Then again, I figure that Lupo would be suited for the additional wetwork. I just want a seat at the Umbrella Council __next to Dorian. __I could just chalk __that__ up to teenage angst._

Alexis shook her head and carried on with her work. She needed something to take her mind of things... Might've been the humidity in the air, she was feeling it heat up in her gas mask.

Placing the cover panel back onto the module, Benton gave a glance to his right where Alexis stood, his eyes slowly going up to her leg and stopping at her firm looking waist. The uniform certainly complimented her figure, and he just smirked to himself as he reattached the panel.

Benton then got up and dusted his knees off before standing up at his full height and glancing down at the lit-up console. "Voila!" he said with a cocky smile, "I feel a promotion coming on," he added with a wink at the masked Alexis. He then reached over to where he set down the rest of his gear, helmet and gloves, and began to put the gloves on first. "All yours now, Captain."

Blake outside was getting impatient and didn't like to be told what to do by an animal. He felt that he was cheated out of being captain since he had given more years to the company than she has. Then some wretched creature comes in, and everyone is impressed. A child. He didn't like it.

Condemned to his orders, he glanced at his subordinate, finding a way around it. "Get in there and tell them to hurry. Once we get moving, I'll be the one radioing to command."

"Right away, sir," Martin said as he walked past Blake and headed inside the engine car. Blake took out his radio, weapon still in his other hand, wanting to be the one to relay the good news to the superiors before Alexis could.

Blake held his radio close. "This is Delta Team, come in command."

_"Status report?" Dorian asked._

"Captain Daemith departed to investigate the recent gunfire in one of the other rooms. Said something about trespassers on board."

_Command went real quiet, then Dorian spoke back, "Unfortunate. Please enlighten me, is the Ecliptic Express ready to move?"_

"It was a dirty job, but I rerouted all power and forced a hard reset. It's almost ready, just booting up now."

_"Excellent. Be sure to inform Captain Daemith that I want a word with her post-haste. Good job Lieutenant, you're not completely useless."_

"Thank you, sir." Blake hung up. He banged on the door behind him. "Oi rookie! Is this train ready to start or not?!"

Benton, holding his mask, glanced at the door at the sudden question shouted from the Lieutenant outside. He then looked around the room at both Alexis and the other U.S.S. sergeant, "I ain't the rookie, am I?"

Martin just stared at Benton. "I only got six months over you," he said through the muffled mask.

Benton just cursed at himself, and took in a breath, "The train is operational, sir. E.T.A..." He then glanced over at Alexis, since he didn't know how long the rebooting would take. "Five minutes?" he asked her, getting an estimate.

"I bloody hope so." Alexis walked to the door behind her." And as for you, Lieutenant, you'd best be careful with your insubordination! If the next thing coming out of your mouth isn't an excuse for that joke you made at my expense, I will personally take your badge! Now, pretend you're not a complete imbecile and stand guard outside until I say otherwise!" _That shut him up. _She lowered her voice and sighed. "Benton, I want you to get this train going ASAP. Martin… just stay by the door and keep an eye on Blake."

The other sergeant, Martin, nodded and walked to the door and stayed there.

Alexis raised her voice and called, "And if there's another unauthorised call to command on my behalf, Lieutenant Blake, I promise you that your career in this company will come to an abrupt and ignominious end! Do I make myself clear?!"

"Yes, Captain!" Blake called. Clearly, despite being outside.

The rebooting was well on the way now, just needed some login details. Being a well-rounded researcher, Alexis already had an account. Stopping the train should be a snap once they log in. To think they're having all this trouble using a system managed by the late Dr Marcus. He was a wizard with computers; it was all catered to his preferences.


	7. Slimy resolve

Rebecca wondered if the siblings she was escorting would fare better staying downstairs, but with Billy around, she was unsure if leaving them alone with him was a good idea. They were adults so they can decide for themselves as she was just as lost as they were.

She went upstairs alone. The dining cart was in disarray. Random patches of fire slowly consumed the walls and the fabrics by the windows. Not enough to burn the place down but enough to make the place feel like an oven.

Tables were turned over. Everything looked to be abandoned in a hurry. The unfinished food and scattered bottles of liquor cemented the diners' final moments. Dine. Dash. Die. There was a man sat at a table in the far back.

Around in the late-seventies. Grey hair slicked back. Could almost see the wrinkles. Seeing the lonely man on his own was a bit of an oddity right now, practically oblivious to the stench of death lingering around. Rebecca couldn't maintain eye contact as the man hung his head low.

"Uhm… Excuse me, sir..." There was no response from the man. She shook his shoulder. "Sir?" She smiled when he turned his head to her as if he was about to notice her. Then his head turned to the right and fell to the floor.

Rebecca gasped. The man's body shimmered and collapsed into dozens of tiny, quivering blobs; his head dissolved into a pile of mush. Most likely a fleshy substance. She screamed, not knowing what else to do.

She watched the mess of things pushing and merging into a puddle of disgusting, squirming slime. They appeared to be climbing up each other, pushing and hardening as if they were one. She felt her eyes widened in horror; the disgusting leeches formed the figure of the man she thought to be alive. A poor imitation of the man it once was.

"This can't be happening..."

The figure reached out to Rebecca, clearly intending to do her harm. Without thinking, she fired three times at it, watching three leeches fell from its body, the rest moving and squirming around where it was shot. For every one, there was another to take its place.

Backing up, he fired the fourth round right through its forehead, leaving a sizeable hole. The leeches covered over the cavity, as expected. Rebecca shook her head and went back to the stairs but stopped when she heard something splash behind her.

The leechman exploded into a mess of leeches; they scuttled all over the floor like a flood of slime. All eagerly making their way to Rebecca. It felt like a quick moment until the horde slowly consumed Rebecca. The slimy abominations covered her head to toe as if she was a tasty snack. Her little yelps were fading as her breath was constricted.

Rebecca felt two bullets whiz right past her shoulder and hip. Two heaps of leeches were blown off her, the rest of them dropped to the ground, almost lifeless… Rebecca collapsed onto her hands and knees, taking mouthfuls of air. Some leeches stayed on her; the rest formed a small ring around her. All still. All slimy.

Billy walked forward with his handgun firm in his hands. Once he got closer to Rebecca, a couple of leeches suddenly leapt at him. He dived to his right, firing two more rounds into the sneaky creatures in mid-air, barely a challenge. They exploded into smaller chunks, and Billy landed softly. Safe. Careful on his right shoulder.

The litter or leeches around Rebecca slithered away to the back of the train, disappearing into the darkness. Billy went to comfort Rebecca and noticed she was almost hyperventilating, still lacking breath. Jared came upstairs, brandishing his baseball bat.

"Are you okay?" Billy asked.

Rebecca couldn't find the right words to say on such short breath, so she just gave him a thumbs up. Billy hunkered down close to her and listened. Something strange was going on outside. Something or someone was singing. Slightly in falsetto…

The pair stood up, noticing a white figure looming in the darkness, atop a hill. The thunder shed some light time-to-time, but that was it. Just glimpses of a character in white. Billy's sharp eyes saw further than Rebecca's and could barely see the essential features.

"Who is that guy?"

The train suddenly started moving with a shunt forward. The heavy machine smoothly kicked into a comfortable speed. Hardly noticeable.

"What's going on?" Rebecca queried, "Who's controlling the train?"

"Go check out the first engine car." Rebecca shifted towards the stairs. "Listen!" Billy grabbed her attention again. "We got to cooperate with each other from now on. You got that?"

Rebecca hesitated. "Well I don't-"

Billy wanted none of that. He stepped forward. "Clue in girl! Or maybe you like being worm bait."

Rebecca had to fold; there was nothing she could use as a solid argument. "Alright. But you just remember I _will _shoot you", she pointed at him, "if you try anything funny."

"Fine. If you find anything, give me a call. Alright?"

Rebecca felt the radio on the pouch on her backside. She had nothing more to say and just nodded. She walked back to the stairs and saw Jared waiting for her.

"So we working together now?" Jared asked.

Rebecca sighed. "Yes."

"What can we do to help, Officer?"

"You two are staying with me."

Jared nodded his head at Billy, hoping he wouldn't notice. "What about _him_?"

"Survive now, arrest later."

"Fair enough."


	8. Delta Team

The train's reboot sequence finished, and the U.S.S. Delta Team was ready to roll onto the next objective: Ride the Ecliptic Express to the Executive Training Centre. The rain outside was hammering down on the windows. Alexis flicked the wipers on and got her radio primed for command.

"This is Captain Daemith," she stated, "we have control of the Ecliptic Express, and we are en route to our destination coordinates."

_Back at the Chemical Plant's turntable monitor room, Wesker, Birkin and Savage were at the several monitors. They were unused, but the microphone they shared wasn't. "Understood Captain," said Wesker into the mic. He leant back in his chair. "You have done a good job with Alexis, Birkin."_

_Birkin expressed his concerns. "This does not make any sense..." he said, ignoring the praise. "How was the T-virus leaked? And why did it contaminate both the lab in the mansion as well as the Ecliptic Express three miles away?"_

_Wesker closed his hand over the mic and met Birkin with a sharp look. "That is a problem for another day, Birkin. Right now, we need to inspect the Training Centre's status."_

_"Though his concern is irrelevant, Dr Wesker," Dorian added, "we shouldn't deny the fact the leeches the Investigation Units discovered are all infected with the T-virus."_

_"Apparently so," Wesker said lightly. "We have to make sure this information doesn't get out." He had more bite in his bark and said, "Ecliptic Express must be destroyed. Completely." Birkin gulped and felt his stomach go south for the winter to his friend's order. Wesker leant in towards the mic. "How far away are you from the nearest branch line?"_

"About fifteen minutes or less to-" Alexis' voice suddenly cut off due to the sound of sudden gunfire that found its way to being audible. Automatic gunfire flared up loudly. In between shot fired and some occasional shouting. "Blake!" Alexis yelled in the background.

_Dorian exchanged looks of concern to Birkin, who in retrospect was her father. Wesker was as cool as a cucumber with sunglasses on. "What's going on?"_

Alexis didn't respond; the gunfire was too loud to hear anything outside of shooting. "Fucking hell, come on!" she yelled again.

_Dorian pressed into his earpiece. "Captain, this is General Savage! What's going on?!"_

Alexis wasn't close enough to hear and was unable to reply loud enough over the gunfire. The automatic sprays of MP5s were too prominent compared to everything else. Then there was a loud crashing sound, something metallic screeching.

"Roof!" Alexis yelled a final time.

_What was strange, after that there was no more gunfire, apart from the occasional single shot of smaller arms. There were just the sounds of blows being delivered and received, along with some soft vocals. Alexis' cries of pain and cursing... Some of the audio was getting hard to hear for Dorian, so he stepped forward and turned off the sound. It spared them the agony of listening to the struggle._

_"Well, that was unpleasant..." Wesker uttered._

_"Do you think she's okay?" Dorian asked, grimly._

_"Do I sense concern, General?"_

_Dorian looked away. Embarrassed that he might have the slightest worry for his only sister. Though zero relation, she was his mate. He could only hide his softness, to spare the damage to his reputation. "Hardly... I only select the finest operatives for the U.S.S. Might put a damper on our plans is all..."_

_"I have faith my creation is just fine," Birkin said smugly;" she can handle herself."_

_"I expect so. I hope our time wasn't wasted on her."_

Well into the middle carriage, some zombies started rising from their slumber. Left and right. Between the seats. Nowhere was safe. Billy and Rebecca gunned down two zombies in the middle; even Jared was watching their backs with his baseball bat.

When a zombie did come Jared's way, he thrust his bat. Once the Zombie staggered back to its feet, Jared slammed the bat on its head. It was only after the second swing the entire head burst open. They all pressed on and entered the second carriage.

The four kept close to the windows past the rooms to the right. Rebecca noticed Edward's body was missing on their way to the other side of the carriage… They were met with an electronically locked door. They wondered if a keycard was even an option.

Rebecca shrugged. "Door's locked."

"I have an idea."

Jared aimed his bat at the card controls on the wall and swung. Not only nothing happened, but the controls were also kaput. The window in the door was too misty to see through, but it wasn't too thick. Jared swung his bat at the window. It took two hits to shatter the glass completely.

Billy reached through the hole and gripped the handle on the other side. The door slid open. "Well, that worked."

Two dead bodies were found on the way to the engine carriage. Both in black combats, also covered in little bites. "Never seen these guys before," Rebecca uttered, wondering.

"Looks like they were killed recently..."

"Damn. Just missed them."

Billy moved on. "Let's go check out the damage already."

Jared looked at the engine. The pipes were clean and steaming hot; nothing was broken. "Looks fine to me."

Billy sighed. "The controls."

"Oh, right."


	9. Enter Stinger

Alexis punched through the roof of the second carriage and ripped a hole big enough for her and Benton to squeeze through. They landed amid a small saloon, no doubt the alcohol car. Plenty of chairs, tables and bottles to go around a dozen people. The place was lifeless.

Benton huffed. "Thanks, Captain. I owe you."

Alexis growled. "How could have those bastards drop through the ceiling like that!?"

"Killed Blake and Martin, didn't they?"

Alexis lowered her head. "I couldn't save them… From death is one thing but the infection… it's impossible."

The two still had their MP5s with a healthy reserve, minus the odd clip. "What now? Without proper adjustments to the speed of the train, the moment we hit the next junction-"

"At this speed, we won't even _notice _the junction _or _the branch line." Alexis checked her watch on the underside of her wrist. "We have three minutes until we pass the branch line, after that... we have only five more until the train derails."

Benton cursed, looking a little surprised, realising it was a lot less than he initially thought. "Well, that's discouraging. Suppose we get those cute buns down yonder before that happens then, huh?" Despite standing by his commanding officer, he couldn't help ease the tension he was feeling.

"Easier said than done, Benton. The leeches are all over this train, and you are at risk of infection."

"That leaves me at a huge disadvantage, but I'm sure my armour will carry me in the meantime. Hopefully, long enough to stop the train."

It wasn't obvious, but Alexis was blushing inside her gas mask due to his unwavering confidence. It was getting stuffy. She handed Benton a black keycard. "You'll need this. I need you to find the emergency brake on the train's rear. Activate it on my signal."

"I will standby until you say otherwise."

"You will leave now. You will not come back for me. And you will stop the train. Got it?"

"Look, if anything happens to you-"

"Your orders are to do what I say and survive. Getting a man on the inside will be a huge leap for the mission. To do that someone needs to stay in the control room, and I have higher survival odds against the leeches. This is the truth."

"But-"

"We don't have time for this. Go!"

"I'm being a realist. Those things spit acid and bite hard as fuck. I don't want to leave anyone I care about in there without it cleared out first."

_He cares about me?_

Alexis might have let it slip, but Benton caught onto it immediately the moment the words left her mouth. He just stared into the large, red, round goggles hiding her face. He was a little thrown back, but he wouldn't dwell on it or even want to bring it out to light just yet. She needed to be focused; however, he couldn't help but feel a little flattered, which did wonders for his ego.

"Please, Brett. I know it's your first mission, but you need to do as I say."

He just nodded to her. "You got the short end of the stick; I trust you'll be careful." Benton pocketed the master keycard and bolted through the door behind him.

Something sharp was clawing through the ceiling. It was like nails on a chalkboard, only more metallic. A meaty claw punched through, then, the whole thing collapsed. The rain started to pour into the carriage, most of which was pooling around Alexis' feet and the culprit.

A ridiculously oversized scorpion. Sharp claws. Large Stinger. Big and angry. It took up the entire carriage. Alexis could take the door behind and go around, but she didn't have the luxury of time. This creature was another one of Umbrella's experiments. Luckily for her, it was also an inferior one, despite taking up the entire saloon.

"What do we have here?"

The monster scuttled its way to Alexis, snapping its claws. She saw how little room she had to work with and decided she had to kill the B.O.W. to get around. Couldn't afford wasting time going around. Alexis slung her MP5 and pulled out her magnum from her shoulder holster.

"You picked the wrong day to piss me off, Stinger! _Big _mistake!"


	10. Derail or crash!

The four arrived at the operator cab a little late after something went down. Spent rounds littered the floor. Billy took to the controls, staring at the blue monitor; it was mostly a series of numbers and calculations. Rebecca looked through the window ahead but saw nothing; it was simply too dark and loud outside.

The rampant heavy footsteps milling around inside mixed with the heavy rain outside bombarding against the glass, the mood was feeling on the grim side. Billy picked up a manual on the seat nearby and scanned it.

Billy sighed. "Shit!"

"This is bad, isn't it?" asked Jared.

Billy stared at Jared. "The train will either derail or crash!" He looked at Rebecca; she was acting a bit more on calmer than the siblings. "We need to stop this thing!"

"I'll go over to the back deck and manipulate the control panel for the brake," said Rebecca, pointing at the only lever she could see. Assuming it was one of the braking mechanisms. "You stay here and apply the brake when ready."

"Alright. Says here in the manual that you'll need a keycard." Billy looked around the cab for anything remotely shaped like a card, but there was nothing of the sorts. "Shit! I don't see one!"

"You worry about the card; I'll clear the way first."

Rebecca went to leave, but Billy stopped her. "Don't get hurt out there, okay?"

"I won't."

Jared raised his hand. "What should we do?"

"The hell if I know." Rebecca left the cab, not answering Jared's question.

Jared stood idly by, not knowing what to do. "I didn't catch that..."

"Help me find the keycard."

"But-"

"Rebecca needs it, or we're dead!"

Evie tugged Jared's arm, silencing any further questions he had. She shook her head. _Jared can ask some stupid questions sometimes, but he means well. I love him._

"I play baseball; I can clear this train in thirty seconds."

Billy checked under the nearby chair. "You got twenty. Now, help me look!"

"Okay!"


	11. Too hot for the kitchen

The number of zombies in passenger carriage A were minimal. The ones that weren't slumped between the seats on both sides were dead in the walkway. Or at least playing dead… There was one zombie behind feasting a corpse. Benton ignored it and barged through the door to the next car.

This time, two zombies were walking around down the middle. Benton started running. He staggered the first zombie with a light spray of his weapon. The last round to the head stunned most of all. The second one was a bit on the chunky side and took several shots to the head and neck to push it back.

Benton pressed on into the dining car and found an electronic door; he didn't see any lights on. __It looks like an automatic door. There's no power now, so it won't open,__he thought. Luckily, he had a small plastic explosive in his rear pouch — perfect amount to breach a stubborn door. Despite not being standard issue, it was something he felt would come in handy.

Rather than the explosive blast blowing the electronic door away, it merely blew a gaping hole in the middle. The metal peeled away, like the retreating petals of a flower. Almost enough room to do a cartwheel through. Benton squeezed through the gaping hole, trying not to catch his gear on the sharp edges.

The kitchen was empty. There were smashed plates on the floor and mashed food all around the backed-up sink. The utensils that weren't hanging from the counter was scattered rattling around Benton's feet. There was another door ahead, but something came crashing out of the industrial fridge.

There was barely any time to shoot the zombie before it got real close. Benton's MP5 was swatted away by it's flailing hands, just before they gripped him by the shoulder and arm. It was trying to bite through the upper part of his left arm.

Benton shifted his weight to his right and ripped his hand from the zombie's grasp. It was like keeping a rabid dog at bay. The strength it had was almost superhuman. Keeping an eye out for the snapping jaw wasn't too hard with Benton's hands pressing firmly against the zombie's chest.

He gripped the zombie's collar and slammed its head against the counter by the sink. The second hit crushed the zombie's right ear into its skull, blood and hair trickled down Benton's hands. After its resistance began to falter, the third slam on the counter crushed into the temple. The skull caved in. Dead.

The zombie was dead. Benton dunked its head into the murky sink and ran the cold water. "Here, cool off."

He picked up his MP5 and went to open the door to the cargo room, but it was locked. A panel by his feet was sealed shut. Benton had no choice but to break it down. A fatter zombie barged through the door from the passenger carriage. Benton didn't think it could fit through the hole in the other door, but at this moment, he didn't want to find out.


	12. Bravo meets Delta

Seeing Edward's body missing made Rebecca feel uneasy. Almost as much as the whole speeding train and imminent doom. The four zombies that were milling around in the first passenger carriage were kind, or stupid enough to walk at her in a decent line — maximised on the bullet penetration, thus conserving ammunition.

There was a zombie feasting on a corpse right in front of the next door. With no real way around, she had to kill it, like the several before. Rebecca saw something on its back, some white letters. When it turned its head to her, that when she knew who it was.

"Edward! No..." She watched his movements in disbelief, slowly coming at her with his arms jutting out to grab her. "Stop! Don't come any closer!"

Edward didn't stop. Rebecca stupidly begged him to stay away from her, even refusing to fire her weapon at first. She knew he was gone and couldn't believe it. With great reluctance, she took a breath and fired her gun. Edward was killed with two shots to the head.

"Oh, Edward… You were so happy a few hours ago..."

The obituary was short-lived as Rebecca marched on to the next door. She heard some gunfire from the kitchen and barged through the door. She saw a hole punched through that electronic door, and dead zombies when she peeked through.

Also, there was a man wearing combats and a gas mask; he just broke a door's window with his weapon. One she was hoping to use. He stuck his arm through the hole and looked like he was feeling around for the handle.

"Hey!"

Benton's head snapped to Rebecca, entirely at a loss of words. She was a trespasser. A cop. An outsider. Saying something could compromise the mission. He heard a dog bark and then something clamped down on his left hand. Felt like a vice, pulling down on him hard.

"Fucking hell!" Benton yelled, "Give me a hand here!"

Rebecca heard dogs growling and barking. She squeezed through the hole in the door and thought profoundly on what she could do. Benton couldn't fit his weapon through the window, so, Rebecca nudged up right behind him and aimed her handgun on the broken window's frame.

It was a feral dog, one that was acting like a zombie. The lifeless eyes were a dead giveaway. Even though Rebecca wasn't left-handed, she hit the zombie dog's head three out of four shots. Its face was plastered all over the floor. Benton's arm recoiled back.

The second zombie dog ceased its barking and wound itself up, growling at the back by the door. Rebecca slipped her handgun into her main hand and fired at the dog running at her. Aiming for the face did wonders, allowing her shots to strike the body, rather than missing completely.

Five rounds in the dog weren't enough to stop it from leaping. A final headshot made it go limp, the dead body slamming against the door. Rebecca almost jumped. She went to check Benton's status. He breathed heavily under his mask, barely speaking.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

Benton huffed. "I'll live..."

She looked at Benton's hand; it was padded. _Wa___s___ it thick enough? _"Did it bite you?"

Benton felt around his left hand. The glove was lightly armoured, a dense material. He took it off, seeing that the armour held but the fabric didn't. He started to sweat but felt that cold fear washed away as the dog's teeth didn't break his skin.

Benton put his glove back on. "No. Just a close shave."

Rebecca stared at Benton's combat attire and gas mask. The woven leathers and meshes were understandable, but the badge was a bit concerning. A small series of red diamonds with the letters U.S.S. underneath. Didn't take a genius to put the pieces together.

_Does Umbrella have their own private military? Aren't they just a pharmaceutical company, what do they need soldiers for? "_Who are you anyway?"

Something came through the opposite door. It was another leechman. Its slimy figure slithered through the hole in the door and started shuffling at Rebecca and Benton. It was already reaching out with its rubbery limbs.

"Save the questions for later, we gotta stop the train first!"

"Fine then, but I got my eye on you."


	13. Stop the train

Killing Stinger left Alexis in relatively good spirits. Having some of its DNA making up her own was like a crutch or a thorn in her side. Like all thorns and crutches, they can be removed. Losing that part of her was both liberating and bittersweet. Almost like a part of her died, but she didn't care.

It was like losing a memory, one that was meaningless, unimportant. Or something as little as a pack of gum or a pair of shoes. It was nothing she couldn't handle. Alexis left the conductor's office and started walking back to the operator's cab. Her MP5 snug in her grasp.

On the way there, the bodies of Martin and Blake started shuffling around; they reanimated into zombies. Made sense the leeches carried the T-virus, including that leechman that attacked her in the cab. Alexis took a deep breath and solemnly shook her head. The zombies approached her.

"I'm truly sorry it comes down to this, men, but it's only fair I put you out of your misery."

"Well, that tears it!" Billy loudly exclaimed. "The keycard's not here!"

"We should recheck the dead bodies," Jared suggested, "just to be sure."

Billy slammed his hands on the control console. "No use! It could be anywhere on the train. On any of the corpses!"

"I can, I dunno, run back to Rebecca and check all the bodies on the way."

Billy brushed his slick hair back in frustration. "Even with all three of us, it won't be enough. Got two minutes at-" The sound of automatic gunfire made him whip his body around, along with Jared and Evie. It was consistent and louder than necessary. After some silence, footsteps.

The door opened. Alexis walked in with her gun, aiming at the three, concerned that strangers were able to make contact with her. Billy already locked her in his sights, his arm not budging. Alexis couldn't be bothered to make any sudden movements and cut to the chase.

"Lower your weapon and step away from the control console," Alexis ordered.

"We're just trying to stop the train; we don't want any trouble."

Alexis nodded and lowered her weapon. "Okay. Let me at the controls, and I'll get-"

A zombie burst through the door and clutched Alexis' right arm and shoulder, biting hard into the side of her neck. She cringed, with a heavy huff of frustration. Not only she was bewildered that something as brittle as human teeth penetrated her skin, but it just came out of nowhere. She dropped her gun from the total surprise.

She ripped her arm free and bashed the zombie's head with her elbow. The flesh wound trickled with a generous amount of blood, soaking her glove. She growled from the sight of her blood. It was Blake, getting one last laugh to her expense.

After Blake staggered back from Alexis' elbow blow, he lurched back forward. In turn, she Alexis lunged forward and punched him. Not only Blake's brittle zombie head exploded into red slush; his corpse flew backwards over the railing.

"That was long overdue..." She felt her neck; it was tender while it bled. "Fuck!"

"Shit..." Billy uttered, lowering his weapon.

Alexis picked up her MP5 and walked to the controls, shooing Billy away like a fly. "I'll stop this bloody train! Just make yourselves useful and watch my back!"

"You can't just-"

"Shut it!" said Billy, stopping Jared from finishing his comeback. He looked at Alexis, calm and assertive as if he just saw someone deck a zombie with a single punch. "We need a keycard to stop this thing. And no, we don't have it."

Alexis murmured; her mask fixated on the monitors.

Jared nodded. "Don't think it's even in here; we can't find it."

The angsty tone of the young man was stirring Alexis' ire. She took a calming breath. "That's because _I_ gave it away. Sent one of my guys to the rear deck to activate the emergency brake. Once he calls my radio we're all good, so, keep your shirt on."

"But-"

Billy hushed Jared again, looking behind Alexis. Jared was confused but saw what Billy was gesturing at. There they both saw something long and green protruding from Alexis' backside. It looked like a tail, around three feet in length.

With that strange feature added to Alexis' uncanny ability to punch a man's head into slush, Jared suddenly felt like keeping his mouth zipped shut. She noticed Jared swallowing his tongue and waited for the boy to speak on, considering he's done nothing but speak his mind.

"Is there anything on your mind, little one?"

"No ma'am..."

Billy smiled slightly, not breaking his straight face. "Don't mind him; he gets nervous around women."

"Clearly..." Alexis resumed her focus on the monitors. She set her MP5 on the dashboard and took out her radio, hoping for some good news from Benton.


	14. Controls engaged

It was strange for the train's kitchen to be next to the cargo room, even more so to have a small kennel for dogs. Doing away with the two dog's wasn't a problem for Rebecca and Benton. Though he did most of the shooting, Rebecca was mostly keeping a close eye on him, unsure if he was reliable in the slightest…

She was glad to have an extra gun with her. The zombie dogs were several times quicker than the shuffling zombies. It was horrible. The poor dogs lost a lot of their flesh through bites and lacerations throughout their bodies. It was sad to think they were locked away while the leeches infected the entire train.

Benton pushed through the kennels. "You're doing good, kid." He opened the door at the very back and stepped outside.

"I intend to," Rebecca replied bluntly.

Benton flinched at the rain peppering against his skin. The intensity of the storm, along with the force of speed that was pushing the train was almost unbearable. He noticed the departing forest and the trees zipping into the darkness behind them. The dark-greyed clouds masking the sky left a chill in the air.

_Could we jump? _Rebecca thought, _No. It wouldn't work. This train's outta control. We'd break every bone in our bodies, if not, outright die._

Benton found the brake control panel to his right. "Here it is!"

"I assume you have the keycard?"

Benton slung his weapon over his shoulder and took out the black card Alexis handed him. "Wouldn't leave home without it." The stress of the train's speed was only eased with some comedy chops.

The wind and rain hit Rebecca like solid objects. "Thank God, we're almost out of this mess."

"No Gods. Just us." The area around Benton was pitch black, and he was unable to make up how much time they have. If he had to guess, it would probably be resting on the thirty-second mark. The keycard unlocked it like a charm. "Alright! Here goes nothing!"

Rebecca glanced at Benton, more so to the fact she didn't trust the guy. As Benton began putting in the numbers, cursing at himself for doing math in his head, she was getting restless. Soon enough, the numbers added up. The emergency brake was free.

Benton took his radio and brought it up to his filters. "Captain! This is Benton!" he spoke, loudly trying to overthrow the heavy wind, "I've engaged the controls for you!"

_Roger that!" __Alexis replied._


	15. Unacceptable

_There hasn't been much movement in the monitor room. Wesker and Birkin stared into the only monitor that was switched on. They were flipping through various channels watching several areas of the Executive Training Centre and the Ecliptic Express. With no contact coming from Delta Team, the three men all shared the same opinion: Captain Daemith failed the mission._

_Dorian didn't have any luck contacting Alexis on his PDA; even he assumed she failed. He shook his head while he kept his eyes on her status. Even though she was online, there was nothing that could be done on his end other than to watch the train crash._

_"It looks like your pet wasn't as good as you claimed she was, Birkin," Wesker mumbled. His hands steepled under his chin, monitor reflecting from his sunglasses. "The Ecliptic Express is just a minute away from contact."_

_"She was a... perfect specimen. I don't know where I went wrong with her."_

_At this point, Dorian gave up, staring at his PDA and rested his eyes. "I share the responsibility of Delta Team's failure. I didn't train them nearly hard enough, even Captain Daemith... I should have doubled her training." He brushed his hair back. "She wasn't ready to be on the field, yet, I believed in her."_

_"Maybe Birkin could make you another sister to play with."_

_Birkin turned his head to Wesker as he smiled at his remark. "You insult me, Albert. Our work is an artform; you don't pump them out as you please. Good creations take time."_

_"For such poor display, I'm glad we're not really blood-related..."_

_"That's time, effort and money we're not getting back raising her with you. On a side note, the Ecliptic Express will destroy a sizable portion of the facility."_

_"It's hard enough pleasing that old man as it is."_

_"Nevertheless, our construction team will worry about collateral damage." Wesker turned his head to Birkin. "That's two investigation teams we've lost, along with our plan B - that is unacceptable. General, make your way to the Training Centre and finish the mission."_

_"Understood. I will clear the facility and get you the reports myself." Dorian flourished his blazer and left the room quickly, almost storming out in light grief._


	16. Train derailment

_The blue light on the control panel lit up. Knowing that Benton performed his part of the task enlightened Alexis; she felt like doing cartwheels up and down the train. Listening to her judgement, despite the situation, softened her heart. They can rely on each other, the trust was there, and all that was GOOD._

The numbers on the panel had to add up to sixty-seven. Had to count by hand as she went along due to the digits not showing. Having only three fingers on each hand was a problem, but she added up the numbers on the pad and gripped the emergency lever. It was firm, though, she was stronger.

The train suddenly plummeted in acceleration and immediately slowed down to the point of throwing everyone off their feet. Alexis snorted. "Uh… hold on?"

"Was that it? Is it over?" Jared stupidly asked again.

"No…" Billy murmured.

The decline in speed wasn't enough to send the train toppling over or getting derailed as it entered a tunnel. That was good. Unfortunately, when the brakes activated at the last second, the carriage Benton and Rebecca were in jumped off the rails.

"I got a bad feeling about this-" was all Benton could say.

The slight air time rolled Benton's mass into Rebecca's, both crashing into each other and through the doors behind them. They stopped at the electronic door in the kitchen, feeling the recoil of the constant jolts they passed over. Once the carriage flipped onto its right side, sparks were flying everywhere.

The weight shifted and turned the cart almost into its side like it was hanging on a thread. They dared not to move, not wanting to break whatever's keeping the carriage connected to the train. Then it crashed against something hard and flipped the cart over, the left side grinding against the rails, much like the right.

The rails were wearing the carriage's integrity. This left Benton and Rebecca on top of each other, their bodies crunching against the kitchen's appliances. Then a bump sent the cart into the air for a long moment to crash back down and break off the far end of the cart. There it went, the rear deck and the cargo room...

The panel, kennel and cargo room was destroyed along with the door, the two just watched the tracks and trees outside fade into motion blurs. It was like a scene out of hell, fires, and burning scraps of debris along a red-hot rail and a long, _long _tunnel of minimal light. The train was still going through the sheer force of momentum alone. Then there was something exploding.

The two front cars were contorted and separated from the last three, the engine carriage teetering over off the track and onto its side. The second cart was pushed up into the ceiling of the tunnel, creating concrete rubble and dust, shooting parts of the train in every direction as the explosion ripped it apart.

The third cart rode up the second like a ramp, pulling the other two with it, blasting through its remaining compartments and slamming into the wall, grinding along as the last two cars were separated and thrown into the overturned engine carriage like a javelin.

The train wreckage shot deeper into the tunnel, skidding along what's left of the track, wall to wall in total carnage as everything finally came to a complete halt. The only source of light left was the burning fires that began to engulf and claim different parts of the wreckage. The crackling of raging flames was the single source of sound amongst the derailment…

Everything went really slow for Benton, all the chaos has ceased, for now. His gas mask was fractured, almost entirely useless. As he struggled to stand, cradling his dislocated shoulder. The dining carriage was upside down, the interior bent and twisted out of shape. Benton leaned on the wall, feeling the numbing come over his arm. The stairs up were now going down.

He sloppily tugged at his cracked mask with his only operating arm, yanking it off with his helmet. He then decided to tend to his arm, and as he leaned on the slanted wall, he positioned himself, so he was facing it directly, using his other arm to give himself that distance.

As he slowly counted to three, he brought his shoulder down into the wall, grinding the popped appendage back into place. He yelped and gritted his teeth as he collapsed, forced a short rest to let the pain subside.

_Breathing heavily, he began to glance around the wreckage, unable to spot anyone else. They managed to stop the train though, maybe not in the best of ways, but he was alive, and that's what mattered. He then thought of Alexis, thanking her, unknowing of her fate. He found the electronic door missing and left, crawling on his hands and feet back outside._


	17. Stopped the train

The crackling of a massive fire was the first thing Billy heard as consciousness slowly poured back into him, his vision blurry and hazy as he slowly opened his eyes. As he slowly craned his neck up, he winced at the hot-searing soreness that shot up and down throughout his entire body; his mind trying to catch up with what happened to him.

He remembered something hitting him in the back of the head; then it was lights out. After pushing his elbow against the hardened concrete ground, his vision slowly turned clear. The train's wrecked carriages were all over the place, one in front of him was set on its side. Could hear the sparks of electricity over the raging flames.

Coughing briefly into his fist, he slowly pushed himself to his feet; the rising smoke from the train seeming to stay within the tunnel that he was in. He looked around at the destroyed train, the wreckage having blocked off the pathway towards what would have been the tunnel's exit. That's when he suddenly realized everyone was missing among the debris. He was thrown quite the distance right in the middle of hellfire and concrete walls.

"Rebecca? Evie? Anyone here?!" he called out, his throat cracked and feeling dry. When he received no response at first, he glanced behind himself and noticed a dimly lit door. Evie sat up against the wall at the furthest end he could see. "Evie!"

Evie looked up and gave him a thumbs-up, barely hurt, but sore all over.

Billy smiled. Looking to the left by another carriage, he saw Rebecca holding her arm.

"I'm here," said Rebecca.

"Are you alright? Hey, we managed to stop the train."

"Yes. We managed. Where is everyone?"

"Not sure. We should wait here by the door, in case they show up."

"Door?"

Billy pointed at a door around a little corner out of sight. A blue light was seen above it.

"Oh, goodie." Rebecca sighed. "Not like there's anywhere else to go."

"I'll get Evie." Other than a cut under her left eye, Evie was drifting into unconsciousness. Billy picked her up over his shoulders, reminding himself not to insult her weight.


	18. A little crush

Jared woke up with an arm over his backside. He pushed himself up off his chest and saw it was that woman who stopped the train; she was face down and unconscious. He gingerly slid out from her grasp and saw a gaping hole in the engine car, torn open from the inside like a tin can.

He knew he couldn't leave her, not knowing if it was her that saved him, or something like that. There was an excellent opportunity to take a peek at her. That tail of hers was green and scaly, the black combats around her limbs torn asunder, showing more greenish scales underneath. Her gloves and boots were also torn open.

It was until Jared flipped Alexis onto her back he saw more than he should. Broken gas mask. Large bust. Perfect hourglass figure… She was something else. He put his ear close to her face, not hearing any breathing. Remembered back to health class, he considered CPR but wasn't sure if it would work on someone like her…

Jared took off Alexis' helmet and couldn't believe what he saw. The woman wasn't human. Her face was covered in green scales, the outside of her mouth and some of her neck were sickly yellow scales. She also had a prominent snout, shorter than a typical dog.

He moved her lips back, and it just got worse from there, she had dozens of fangs in place of teeth. Like they were all canine teeth. He figured it wouldn't be comfortable giving something like her mouth-to-mouth, but he tried anyway. He put his lips around hers and hoped his knowledge in CPR could hold up.

Alexis coughed and sputtered; her dry throat felt like the Sierra Desert. She blinked several times, those flustered golden eyes. "Did you kiss me?"

"Uh..."

Alexis brushed her face, only just noticing it was bare. Her mask was gone, and she was staring face-to-face with an outsider. People who would see her as a freak. People not associated with Umbrella. They were home, keeping the dark outside world at bay, yet, one of the people she feared was staring at her. She dared not to look back.

"Don't look at me!" she snapped. "I'm a freak..."

"No..." Alexis didn't budge, so, Jared gently peeled away her hands from her face. Her golden eyes were glowing, almost mesmerising." I think you're beautiful..."

"No, I'm not!"

"Is this about the way you look? I can see past the tail and your… colour, but… I have an open mind."

Alexis freed her hands from Jared's and covered her face again. "Just… just go… Get your friends and leave me alone! I'm no one..."

"Is it so wrong to find a strong woman with the most beautiful eyes so… well… beautiful?"

"You can't…" Alexis was slowly lowering her hands from her face, showing only her glowing eyes. "You don't even know me..."

Jared smiled. "Well, I wouldn't mind knowing more about the woman who saved us..."

_Me? A saviour? A woman? He doesn't see me as a freak? Instead, he cracks on with me? Takes some guts… _Alexis sat up, no longer covering her face. "I always thought of you outsiders as savages who spoke a different language. Now one of them is saying I'm beautiful… Why?"

Jared shrugged. "Why not? You're so stunning I could stare at you all day. Those eyes and that hair..." Jared went to feel Alexis' flowing black hair, approaching slowly it as if she was a feral cat. He hummed. "Thick. Feels as good as it looks."

Alexis couldn't let the pup butter her up, but to see that outsiders weren't all created equal, made her think that there were some gold nuggets out there. Gold nuggets her company kept her away from. She felt hot and flustered, thinking not even her boyfriend wooed her with such words before.

She shouldn't have, but in the act of weakness, she suddenly lurched forward and locked Jared into her arms. Her face buried into his neck. She felt his human hands brushing her hair and patting her back. Somehow, he felt better than the likes of Dorian Savage…

Jared was overwhelmed when Alexis pulled back and kissed him. His eyes shot open, not believing anything anymore. Their eyes closed, with their breathing slightly slowed down. His tongue danced with hers, only it felt rough, long, steaming hot. It was strange, but he dealt with it. She felt natural, in fact, better than the women he often fantasised.

Though he wanted a few more memorable seconds kissing such a beauty, he was the first one to pull away. Alexis was smiling, no longer looking like the tough woman that took control of the cab earlier on. Instead, looking more like a casual high school prom queen.

Alexis breathed. "I'm sorry… we shouldn't be doing this..."

"Do you wanna… maybe get a drink sometime-"

Jared felt a nasty prick hit him square in the chest. After he fell back, he saw Alexis get something worse. Some sort of spike came out of her torso, right below her ribs. Her face contorted into pain and agony as her body was lifted way above her head. The culprit was a giant scorpion, scuttling on top of the engine car.

"What the fuck's that?!"

The giant scorpion dangled Alexis on its stinger, before swinging her limp body away out of sight. Jared couldn't save her; all he could do was feel the bleeding wound on his chest. He didn't have any weapons on him; he had to run. He ran to the sounds of his name being called.

"Jared!" Rebecca called, "Where are you?!"

"Here!" Jared called back, squeezing through a gap between the right wall and another destroyed car. "Run! Run! Fucking run!"

Benton came into view from the opposite side of the tunnel; another crashed carriage it seemed. He met with Rebecca and Billy in the open space in front of the door ahead. "Where's my captain? Where is she?!"

Rebecca stopped Jared after he caught some breath. "What's going on?"

"Big fuckin' scorpion… We need to move!"

Billy narrowed his eyes at the sight of something huge, moving its way through the billowing smoke. It snapped its claws as it gazed down from on top of the wrecked carriage in front. "Oh man..." he mumbled, slowly backing away. "We're not out of this yet, stay back!"

The scorpion's armoured exoskeleton was cracked enough to see the pulsing flesh underneath, all across the back and tail. It leapt from the top of the crashed train carriage and landed with a dulling _poof, _scattering the survivors closer to the door.

The only choice was to fight or flight. Flight was the best option since they could simply turn away. The scorpion taunted with its snapping claws. Rebecca and Benton pulled out their handguns, protecting the other three.

The carriage behind the scorpion was pulled back with a piercing screech of metal, taking away from the arrival of the creature. Then it went upright and fell, landing on the beast. The poor thing wailed in crippling agony with the weight of the entire carriage smushing it into the wet ground.

It all happened safely away from the survivors. The giant scorpion was dead once the pain and suffering ceased. It was almost sad listening to its wailing.

"What the..." Evie patted Billy's back. "Oh, sorry." He let Evie down off his shoulder, letting the girl stand on her own two feet.

A figure leapt on top of the carriage crushing the scorpion; her features coming into view. She was a tall woman in green sporting a colossal bust. She dropped down by the giant scorpion, that's when the nearby fires shed some light on her person.

She wasn't wearing green; she _was _green. Whatever she was, she looked healthy enough to sport long, black braided hair, with an ample figure. Her golden eyes screamed in pain, with her right arm clutching her chest. She dropped to her knees, exhausted and sore all over.

"Captain!" Benton darted forward and brought Alexis back onto her feet. "Are you okay?" His hand felt the sizeable wound in her chest. "Shit..."

"I'll live..." Alexis shooed away Benton and joined back up the others, Benton following her without question. She smiled at Jared, not before feeling her wound irritating her.

"Are you sure you're okay? I mean, if you need me to help you walk-"

"No," Alexis interrupted." That would just make me feel worse."

Rebecca chewed her lip. "Now that we're all here, we'd best move on. Can't exactly go out the way we came in."

"You took the words right outta my mouth, Officer," said Billy.


	19. Anxious

_It was something out of a nightmare, watching the Ecliptic Express crash into the Training Centre's basement on a small monitor. They felt the crash several rooms away, the walls faintly rumbled. The camera lens was obscured by smoke, but at times it was clear to see everything going on down there._

_"We should abandon this place," Birkin said, pacing in a little circle behind Wesker, nibbling his right thumb with anxiety._

_He wasn't worried about the fire or the damage done, but a train crash was hard to miss even this far out. Not every cop and firefighter in the city was on Umbrella's payroll. Though the facility was isolated, all it took was one anonymous phone call from a concerned citizen to expose the company's agenda._

_The bioweapons and the controversy would ruin them. Wesker wasn't fazed; he tapped at the monitor controls, shifting camera to camera, thoroughly keeping an eye on the facility. He barely made a sound since Dorian's departure._

_"Are you even listening?" Birkin asked, not for the first time in the last few minutes. He was feeling more and more anxious with Wesker's unhelpful, disdainful behaviour._

_"I heard you the first time, Birkin," Wesker uttered, not taking his eyes off the buzzing monitor in front of him. "If you want to leave, leave."_

_"Well? Aren't you coming?"_

_"In due time," he answered, his tone steady and smooth. "I just want to keep an eye on a few things."_

_"Like what? I'd say the Ecliptic Express is pretty much destroyed and Dorian is already on route to clean up the table scraps. What could keep you?"_

_Wesker didn't answer, kept his eyes on the monitor like a hawk._

_Birkin clenched his hands into fists. _God, he can be so unbearable sometimes. That's the problem with sociopaths. The failure to sympathise tended to make them hugely self-centred. Even as a father of three, he was still the same old manipulating asshole. One I'd be better off without, then again, I'm glad I'm not on his bad side.


	20. Uneasy alliance

Alexis' uniform was burned away all over the limbs, not even her boots survived. Her face in full view, being unsettling to Billy. It didn't take a genius to tell that she and the other guy were part of the same unit. Surprisingly, no one was too concerned that essentially a humanoid, female lizard was standing before them, the same one that stopped the train.

Had Benton not known any better, he probably would have shot the woman immediately at first glance. However, that wasn't the case here, and she actually didn't look half bad from what he was told, for a humanoid reptile anyway. Though, it looked like their cover was blown. Rookie mistake really.

Just as Alexis was getting comfortable around strangers, the smell of burning was stirring her ire. The heat was doing other things... She checked her working PDA to see what she missed. One thing was for sure, her radio was lost, and she only just noticed Benton's was missing once he patted himself down. They shared heavy huff of frustration.

She didn't know what to think when she rifled through her messages. The ones she didn't respond to were from General Savage; he was stating he was coming down to finish her mission. Personally... This proved to be a problem in two ways.

He would be on the field, and since he doesn't take shit from anyone, what would he think when he sees his favourite subordinate associated with outsiders? Some she tolerated enough to see decency in them, something her brother lacks. Sympathy.

The last problem would obviously be him wasting his time on a minor mission; he often complains wasting his time with the common rabble and not be where he is truly needed. He is the very _last _resort when a mission goes awry. He'll be so mad. When he gets angry, she gets upset. When she gets upset, people die.

Leaders of a team can manage and organise their subordinates with their standard issue PDA. Status. Objective. Condition. Radios could work to call command or anyone on the field for that matter, as long as they were on the server, but they were both lost.

General Savage would have a radio, which is good. She could only hope to intercept him and relieve his worries, assuring him she can finish the mission without him wasting his time. She had to call command to tell them that they survived the crash. She needed to prove herself.

Billy eyed up at the approaching Benton, noting the way he seemed to be limping. Apart from a few cuts and scrapes on himself, the convict was briefly grateful at how little damage he had seemed to have taken from the crash.

"Are… you okay, miss?" Billy said to the green, scaly woman before him, a million questions running a mile. Like how had she'd been able to move the train car? Why was her skin green? What were those scales all over her? Why was her and Benton's uniform similar? What the fuck was she?

"Never better," Alexis lied. Billy stared at her, noticing her tail again, her wounded chest and the new talons she had for feet. "Don't stare, it's rude."

"I'm sorry, it's just… You don't look so good."

"My eyes are up here."

Billy stopped staring at Alexis' tail; it was just so strange to see on a woman of that calibre. "I'm sorry again. What _are _you?"

"Oh, that's easy; I'm a mutant, but don't let that scare you, I'm actually kinda nice once you get to know me."

"Right… I can see that from your… scales and…" Billy shrugged.

"I'm _also _a woman, one that likes long walks on the beach and candlelit dinners."

Billy snorted. "This is hardly the time for jokes. Dozens of people died hours ago, and that ruddy train almost blew our asses into the third century!"

"You're alive, aren't you?"

"I'll ignore the fact you're a walking, talking lizard lady but we could do with an explanation to what's going on here. With all the dead people walking around, and, oh, I dunno, maybe one for the giant scorpion."

Alexis growled softly. "There's been a chemical leak nearby, infecting people and even mutating other organic creatures. Dogs, birds, even insects, much like that scorpion. I'm here to investigate."

"Right, who sent you?"

Alexis raised her voice slightly. "That's all you need to know."

"Fine then. We'll be wanting more answers from you later, and you better answer them."

"Whatever." _Dead men can't ask questions. You won't last..._

Rebecca tugged Billy's arm. "Come on; there's nothing left to do here."

Billy turned his attention to the group. "Alright, everyone. We're alive, shaken up a bit and have no idea where we are right now. First thing's first, we find out where the hell we are. Then we get out, quickly and safely as possible."

Rebecca lead the way through the door with Evie and Jared; she still had to protect them as they were civilians, maybe patch them up once they get to a safer location. Billy joined her with his gun at the ready. The foul stench of sewer water soaked into their clothes.

All other paths were blocked with iron bars, so, it seemed a ladder going up was the only way out. "Well this sucks. I'll take point, follow me."

Alexis gritted her teeth and took a little breath. Like a human instinct, she had to check her PDA. The only people active and with with their condition above the cautionary yellow was her and Benton. Blake and Martin's conditions were solid red with zero pulses. When enlarged, it said they were dead. The implants were a nice touch to establish control, but it was chilling to be reminded half her team were K.I.A.

Couldn't call anyone with her radio or with the PDA. They were alone and in the dark unless someone was watched over them. Then again, this is Umbrella she was thinking about. She was never alone.

Dorian was coming, that's all she knew. She saw Benton following the survivors further into the facility, he stopped to check back at her in deep thought. Command must have assumed her team was destroyed. She still had a job to do, and he couldn't leave her.

Even though the Ecliptic Express was a thing of the past, she could at least uncover the mystery behind the outbreak at the Training Centre. If she could put two and two together, the entire mystery behind all these unrelated outbreaks might all link together. If not, she knows Birkin would finally appreciate, even learn to love her as his own.

She couldn't waste time brooding like that Sherry, so Alexis dusted herself off and checked out her wares. Other than her magnum revolver, she had her own mind and body as weapons. She was glad that she didn't have to rely on Benton or the survivors to make the killing. They'd just resent her. What group of people would allow a freak to help them?

There was a job to be done, and the only one she could trust is Benton. She doesn't trust Umbrella, but they paid the bills, and if he shares the same idea, then there won't be any hard feelings. What with that credit card scandal still going on, money was all that mattered. If she had to kill for it, then so be it, she didn't belong with humanity anyway.

Benton didn't know what to really say; he merely kept to himself and stayed a few feet in the background. He was more concerned about what people would say about Alexis. But so far, making sense of anything going on was a lost cause at this point. Giant scorpions or walking corpses were not on the list.

He watched the four survivors take the only exit out of the tunnel. Where it went was anyone's guess at this point. He turned to glance back at Alexis, and she seemed to be distracted. She knew something he didn't and remaining in the dark was something he never could get used to. Allowing the other survivors to govern themselves in following Billy, he began to walk back to the green beauty.

"Hey," he said to get her attention. "You alright?"

"Command thinks we expired during the train's derailment. Because the importance of the mission, General Savage is coming out to finish the mission. I'm actually a bit scared of him coming down here. There's a reason he's a general and NOT a captain."

Benton didn't want to hear that the general himself was going to make an appearance. That changes everything. He just glanced off to the side, not looking at anything in particular while deep in thought, before he sighed.

"Shit." No matter what way he thought of this, it was bad for most of them, if not all. "That puts them," he motioned to the group, "at risk now."

"Fortunately, those people are no use to us dead; we'll need their help to increase our survival chances. However, I don't think General Savage will agree... If we can reach command before he arrives, we might be able to resume the mission without him making things more complicate than they already are. My radio's gone."

Her idea might actually be the best course of action at this point; in fact, it was their only option. "I lost mine too." He then had a thought. "I agree though, keeping them alive helps us," he said, referring to the group, "but if we're going to make it through this to the end, we can't let them live. You know that right?" he added, wondering about her opinion on the subject.

Alexis closed her eyes and sighed, feeling her fractured humanity tempt her. "We'll do what's absolutely necessary."

"You're the captain." He felt a little bothered about the approach she's suggesting. Trying to reason with General Savage was like trying to breathe underwater. The man was old school and there was only one way; his way. "We'll keep them close for now, but remember... this is an Umbrella facility. I don't know what they did here, but you're a product of theirs, so... we have a general idea. If those people find out... they will turn on us, and we might not see it coming." He moved for the door, already lagging behind.

"Well crap, I didn't think about that." Alexis folded her arms. "I wish there was an easier solution behind this, but we either walk away and not look back or keep a _very _close eye on their findings and kill if we need to. I'm all for hard work and money, but if this place is infested as command says it is, then it _might _be best to work together. I'm open for a second opinion from you, though."

Benton was already in a mindset of survival, and it might work in their favour to keep them alive, but they also outnumbered the two Umbrella operatives. That alone was enough to convince Benton of lethal measures right off the hop.

"They're not trained like we are, yet two of us were taken out easily. If they surprise us, we're as good as dead. Let's not forget, one of them is a cop, STARS no doubt. Keeping her alive might do more harm than good."

"I don't like the idea myself, but the fact we all could've died before mission start is unacceptable. Despite everything, they're still alive and so are we. As far as I know, we have one man who's not completely useless with a gun and a partially useful medic. The other two are brittle, won't take much to break them."

Benton nodded. "The odds sound better coming from you, that's for sure."

"Once their services are depleted, we'll make it quick – they earned that privilege."

Benton sighed; he couldn't agree with Alexis, even though she brought up some interesting points. They may have proven their worth in a fight and even been a part of helping them stop the train. He had to trust her judgement; she was the expert on all this. Then again, losing two members of the team under her leadership left the working relationship strained.

"Fine..." Benton huffed, sounding a little agitated. "I'll play nice, for now... Just so we're clear, the moment I personally feel that those guys up there are snooping on something they shouldn't, or they even _look _at me funny, I will kill them."

"I expect you to," Alexis replied coldly. "It's your job to survive."

"And yours. Don't you forget that." Benton pushed through the door, and the grotesque smell was intense. He carried on, not wanting to press on any further.

Alexis couldn't keep a team together; she was a fool thinking she was ready to lead. Couldn't even protect herself against Stinger, nearly died because of it. Wasn't even mentioning the years of training she been through, just to be more than a mindless B.O.W. Didn't expect to shoot civilians in the back until the second or third year. This was real.

Even up to this day, she wondered if leaving the life of a researcher was a good move for her peers. It was fun back then working with the likes of Scott and Birkin, but ever since she heard Dorian Savage was enlisting in the Security Service, she knew she had to join. Not only she grew up with him, but she also developed a huge crush.

The cruel two years of training she was put through paled in comparison to his six years, but they managed to make things work. Secret meetings and all that. That was then she didn't care about her peers; she just wanted to be with him forever. Every moment away from him broke her heart.

This was her life now, and there was a job to do. The people she was stuck with were a possible threat to her company, and no amount of humanity she was feeling could change that. What will they think when they dive deeper into the facility? The horrible actions the recent general manager had done to employees? If they survive, what next? Rumours would spread.

All U.S.S. members are to protect the company's interests. Their secrecy is one of them; a captain would know that, not a rookie fresh off the press. All these complicated feelings would never let her rest, can't just chalk everything up to teenage angst. Benton was right, and she knew it.

She failed her team, and the only ally she had left clearly had doubts about her. Dorian was coming down and taking control; her choice is simple: to follow his lead along with Benton or stand in their way for the lives of the survivors, strangers she wasn't sure she should care for.

Maybe she wasn't ready for the responsibility. She's a failure, as a captain, a daughter and a sister. She was no one. Just a failed experiment that was given the benefit of the doubt, one that will last her whole life. Unlike a monstrous freak, she sat down and cried in her lap. The wrong person was made Delta Team Captain that day, that honour was not hers to earn…


	21. Marcus, still alive?

After climbing the ladder and removing the tile above, the four survivors emerged in the hall of a building. Upon looking around, Billy then notices the Umbrella logo and realizes to his shock that they had just emerged in a facility owned by Umbrella.

"The Umbrella Research Centre?" Billy said, questioning the exact quote on the ground by the red and white decoration on the marble floor.

Rebecca, however, ascended the steps nearby due to noticing the portrait. Upon getting a close look at it, she immediately recognized the man in the painting as being the same man who she had seen sat in the dining carriage back on the train.

Billy saw some words written under the portrait Rebecca fixated on. "The first general manager, Doctor James Marcus."

Evie was at awe, gazing into what appeared to be an incredible, luxurious main hall, illuminated by the various chandeliers above them. The room was dimly lit, with a few torches to give light. Staircases leading to the higher levels of the room are present. An old, crimson carpet covered the stairs and started at the front door.

On the second floor, several doors are present. Paintings are on the walls. There was a grand staircase that led up to a second floor, with a linking balcony bridge, and in her opinion, the creepiest looking portrait of an old man she'd ever seen. Jared sat down on the closest chair he could find, winded from all the excitement.

There laid a mighty front door opposite the portrait, two knights with their swords raised, locking the metal doors into place. Needless to say, locked. Evie's gaze averted all over the hall, seeing plenty of doors into what could be a maze.

_This place is gigantic… _Evie thought.

The sound of a loudspeaker shot through sombre silence. "Attention!" it announced in a voice of what sounded like an old, craggy man, "This is Dr Marcus. Please be silent as we reflect upon our company motto. Obedience breeds discipline. Discipline breeds unity. Unity breeds power. Power is life!"

_Unbeknownst to the survivors, they were being monitored. Birkin was wondering about the identities of the intruders, but Wesker made a polite note that there were the two from Delta Team not far behind. All were delving further into the rabbit hole._

_Wesker disclosed the identity of Rebecca Chambers, though the other three were a mystery. The facility's P.A. system took them both by surprise as the groggy voice of a pensioner just shook their heads something awful. Then their monitors were being intercepted by a hacker of sorts._

_They couldn't see what room the young man was in, but the facial features were as clear as day. An early twenty-something male with long brown hair chuckled ominously when the image focused on him. He wore a white robe that brought out his blue eyes._

_"This is a restricted channel," Wesker growled, "State your name and business!"_

_"Aren't you two a sight for sore eyes…"_

_Wesker typed away at the monitor's keyboard, but nothing changed, they couldn't get away from the young man's broadcast. "How'd you..."_

_"Hack your little surveillance? Child's play, really. It seems the master still has some tricks up his sleeves..."_

_Wesker took off his sunglasses and leant closer to the monitor. "Who are you," he said slowly and clearly._

_"I've been waiting to see you two again-"_

_"I do not know you, nor that I want to."_

_The young man shook his head. "I am surprised you have forgotten about me so easily after that prepubescent brat of yours killed me." He snarled, pointing his finger at the screen. "The mind shall vanquish the sword, my apprentice, and you wield a dull blade."_

_"So it is you..."_

_"It was I who scattered the T-virus in the Spencer Mansion. Needless to say, I contaminated the Ecliptic Express too."_

_Birkin's eyes widened. "What?"_

_"Revenge... on Umbrella!"_

_The man's face slowly aged rapidly into an older man with grey hair and deep wrinkles. The hair was combed back and the wrinkled looked good for someone in their golden years, his clothes changed to a brown suit somehow._

_"Dr Marcus?"_

_Dr Marcus scoffed nicely; his older voice sounded suitable from his decrepit age. "Two years... You two and that bastard Spencer wasted two years of valuable life! And for what?! Common paranoia!?"_

_"You are not Marcus..." Birkin said unsure. "I've seen his leech data; you're just a fake imitation. An impersonator, no doubt!"_

_"Ah, true. The leeches, rife with the T-virus, act as a hivemind, able to construct larger bodies. Or to swarm oppressors, at the queen's command. That same queen bonded with me... the one you never disposed of my dear apprentice."_

_"So that's where it was hiding! In Marcus' corpse." Birkin looked at Wesker; he wasn't meeting his gaze. "See! This is just a leech taking over a dead man's form."_

_Marcus just laughed. "Was it hiding, Birkin? Or perhaps it was looking for its master, one that would be a suitable host."_

_Birkin looked back at the monitor along with Wesker; he never took his eyes of Marcus. "You are _no_t _Marcus."

"_With all my memories, emotions, knowledge intact... is that claim really yours to make? Who else could I possibly be? After all, I know _everything _about you two... You pups wouldn't be where you are now if it wasn't for me."_

_"You simply had no more services to offer Umbrella," said Wesker, "The Council agreed you were a liability and not worth keeping around."_

_"How dare you! After everything I have done in the name of the company! All of Umbrella will pay for their betrayal, and _your _suffering will be legendary, I can promise you that much."_

_"I'll pencil you in for another time, Doctor."_

_"NO! You will all suffer the way I have suffered, and so will Spencer!"_

_"As much as I'd like to see that, your plans won't play out as smoothly as you think. We have our best man on the field; he'll be sure to finish what my son started."_

_"Sending children to do your dirty work _again_, Albert?" Marcus snickered. "That's a move I'd expect from Spencer. But don't you worry, _I'll _be ready for __him__ this time."_

_"I'd say it's been nice catching up with you, Doctor, but I'd be lying." Dr Marcus huffed and turned off his monitor, Wesker and Birkin were free now. "It seems our worst fears have come true... Dr Marcus is _still _alive."_

_"You can't be sure that's the identity of that young man."_

_"The way he talked to us, me, in particular. I can see it in his eyes."_

_"What are we going to do? He could be anywhere in the Training Centre, and we only have three people on the inside. We're stretched thin as it is."_

_"It's a good thing we have General Savage on the field now, isn't it? We may have to change things up a little bit..." Wesker brought his Umbrella radio up to his ear and called for Dorian Savage. He picked up quickly._

"I'm not the only one who heard that P.A. system go off am I?"

_"The survivors have already infiltrated the Training Centre, where are you?"_

"On the turntable elevator now."

_"We have a serious problem on our hands. Dr Marcus is still alive and hiding somewhere within the facility."_

"That can't be, Scott killed him like a dog!"

_"His marksmanship needs more work. Nevertheless, his sudden revival required us to change things up a little."_

"I'm listening."

_"I need you to eliminate Dr Marcus by any means necessary."_

"I don't mean to say I told you so, but this could've been done if I just-"

_"Your opinion has already been noted, General. Now get to it and make sure he stays dead this time."_

"What about the survivors?"

_Wesker groaned over the radio; it was funny to hear the bastard get agitated. "Work... together... You'll need all the help you can get, and that's all we have on short notice-"_

"Forget it! I'm not working with humans!"

_"You'll do as you're told."_

"Even if your notion is absolute bullocks!?"

_Wesker growled. "Dr Marcus is too dangerous to be left alive. I do not wish to underestimate the fossil for a single second, and neither should _you."

Dorian paused, not knowing what to say. Couldn't question orders from the likes of Wesker. "If that's the way it must be, then so be it."

_"Pick up Captain Daemith from the tunnel and try to integrate into the group as a typical nice guy. One who will _help _them survive. Once Marcus is dead, you may kill them all however you please."_

"You cannot expect me to keep an eye-"

"_Leave that to her; you have your own orders."_

"Alexis is still alive?"

_"Can see her and another one of your guys on the cameras."_

Dorian felt joy coming back into his words. "Good. That makes things easier for me."

_"I wouldn't normally ask for any of us to be playing this close to outsiders, but I know Dr Marcus, and what he's capable of... I do not want to make any mistakes. I want him dead by dawn."_

"I will rendezvous with Delta Team _try _to work with the survivors. Just so you know, if I feel that they're getting suspicious, I will kill them."

"_I expect you to."_


	22. To be my first

DORIAN SAVAGE (MONOLOGUE)

Doctor James Marcus - one of the five founders of Umbrella Incorporated - one of two who are still alive. Criminally insane and obsessed with his work, the man was a wizard with biology, virology and even modern technology.

Shame he stepped out of place and suffered a terrible accident of catching too many bullets to the torso. Wasn't just a simple case of paranoia, but it sure was complicated to why one of the most brilliant minds in the region suddenly went rogue. He got what he deserved, was what the younger people would say.

The wrong person was made that day. Spencer had good reason and motive to remove Marcus from power, but instead of using Marcus' questionable assistants to do the dirty work, they had their own idea. Marcus' trainee, Scott.

Scott is one of Wesker's bastard children, the only one associated with the company. Somehow, he showed the most promise this company had seen, almost considered a child prodigy like that Ashford bitch before she kicked the bucket. She was the first, with him a close second. Talk about favouritism.

I personally nominated myself to terminate Dr Marcus, as I wanted to demonstrate that rebellion is not tolerated, even members of the Umbrella Council. It was a standard vote out of three, and I lost. Because of Scott's pathetic assassination attempt, I have to trek through this dump to finish the job.

But nooooo, Wesker doesn't want to underestimate the geezer and asked me to work with human cattle. Just to make sure there aren't any mistakes. I can see the wisdom behind that but for fuck's sake how hard could it be? I guess if they made it this far, human help can't be that useless, could use them for baiting purposes or something. At least I still have two competent operatives on the field.

Dorian's monologue ended with the doors to the B1F tunnel opened. He wasted a few seconds to hear himself talk. The wrecks were all still smoky, but it was thicker than the surveillance cameras shown earlier. Harder on the throat too.

A carriage was pressed against the stone wall to the right with several scattered on the left. It glowed and glistened in the limited lights of the underground. He loosened up his fingers and kept his silenced MP5 close by.

That escaped B.O.W., Stinger, was found under one of the carriages, crushed under the massive weight. He leapt onto the carriage and took another look around. There was a whole lot of tunnel, not much else other than crashed luxury locomotive. Something green was sat by the door that leads to the Training Centre. It was Alexis.

Dorian ran to her and held her up by the shoulder. He slung the MP5 away. "Alexis, are you okay?" He noticed the bandaged wounds over her chest. "Fuck me..."

Alexis looked up with her tired eyes. Her long hair was a mess. "I'll live..."

"Who did this? Did they-"

"No." Alexis shook her head. "Not them. It was Stinger..."

Dorian looked back at the B.O.W. under the carriage. Pleased with its demise. "Looks like you got the last word."

"General? I'm sorry... I failed you… The mission, it' s-."

Dorian looked back at Alexis. "Don't say that. We can still make it work."

"I lost Blake and Martin before we even started. Just like the First Investigation Team, I sent them all to their deaths..."

"That's unfortunate but-"

"I have doubts about myself, and I feel like I'm less of a captain and a soldier. My best man doesn't even trust my word, and he's the last man under my wing. I don't deserve to be captain..."

"I made you captain because you were just a better soldier, based on physicality and emotions. You could be where I am in a few years, six tops."

"What went wrong?"

"I do believe I didn't train you hard enough in your weakest areas, but I just think you just can't handle the horrors of turmoil."

"No, I can. I graduated at the top of the class-"

Dorian slammed her against the wall, her hand clasped onto his wrist. He did it not to hurt her but to be sterner. "You are as good as any of the other members I've ever seen, but you're handicapped for whatever reason."

"Handicapped?"

"Maybe it's my fault because I didn't teach the monster inside you."

"You show me such praise, as a sister-"

Dorian lost his comforting smile. "I have no sibling; I'm a one-of-a-kind-"

"What of Ric-" Dorian brushed his hand past Alexis' shoulder and grabbed her by the throat. She gasped and tried to free herself, but his grip was like a vice. He raised her off her feet with a single motion of his strong arm.

"The U.S.S. operatives under my employment do _exactly _what I order them to. Why? Because I instil _fear. _I am a monster like you, but _unlike _you, I'm at peace with what I am, and I work to my strengths. All I desire is to live… What is _your _desire?" He loosened his grip on Alexis' throat.

She breathed loudly. "To be... like you..."

Dorian looked away and back again after a few seconds thought. "I'm sorry, but there can only be one."

"You said we don't belong with humanity; monsters need to stick together."

"I did."

"You're strong. Fearless. Confident. You don't take shit from anyone. Why else did I join the U.S.S. over a quieter life as Birkin's assistant?" She gurgled under the soft pressure around her jugular.

Dorian sighed and let Alexis down on her feet before she could cough and gasp, he pressed her against the wall again with the same hand and shoulder. "You joined to be like me?"

"I joined to be _with _you… but our superiors-"

"I'm not scared of my bosses because they don't force fear; in fact, all they do is keep me alive. That's my motivation. You just need to find yours."

Alexis' golden eyes studied all the grooves around Dorian's face, the nose, the eyes and the smooth hair. She had his undivided attention. "I want to have what you have..."

"You can't just mimic me because of-"

"I… want… the things you have… Money. Respect. Freedom… Things I don't have."

"Yeah, that'll do it alright."

"Then that's my motivation. To work hard and earn my place on the council, just like you did." Alexis looked away. "Oh, you must think of me as a fool."

Dorian held her chin and brought her eyes to his. "You are no fool. You are one of the strongest people in this pathetic world of ours."

"You're just saying that..."

"Even with those judging eyes, discriminating comments and fickle drones we work with, YOU_, _of all people _still _clock in and out without question. Without hesitation. I think you're well on the way to what you want most."

"I'm glad we grew up this close, Dorian." Alexis stepped closer to Dorian and kissed him on the lips, their eyes closed.

"To be like me, though, I might need to teach you a few things..."

Alexis felt a bit more confident with herself, but something was still missing, she looked back on Dorian. He was smiling now, that was comforting. "You do?"

"What kind of employer would I be? Fear works for humans because it's one of their primitive emotions, but you're different. You're a monster, and that requires a different approach.

"I am a one-of-a-kind then as well," she chuckled.

"I guess you're right. I'm used to ordering people around like cattle but monsters like you, even me? I never had the opportunity. So, knowing that, I think I might have to do something different."

"Shoot."

Dorian had both hands firmly placed on her shoulders and stood at the same height. Brought her close. "You just need some self-love girl, you thought of that at all?"

Alexis gulped. "Never thought about it… not at work at least."

"It's easy for me to do things you cannot. From your lack of freedom and appearances alone, I can see why. I can go and do anything outside as I please, and I can help you do the same."

"No." Alexis sighed and dropped her head low. "I'm a freak. I'm no one. People aren't ready for me, not even..." _Jared… no..._

Dorian raised her head by the chin; even his index finger had more strength than ten men... "We're all freaks in our sad stories, Alex, don't let humans get to you; they're nothing special. Honestly, what's the difference between our freakish lives to theirs?"

"We're biologically different?"

"We are, but who cares? Doesn't mean we should live as second-class citizens."

"No offence, but you're kinda losing me right now..."

"You need to live a little. Gamble. Drink. Have a joint or something. Even though we're just the creations of older assholes trying to reach Godhood, we all have needs. We're still teenagers, for crying out loud."

"Maybe I should take a page out of your book..."

"That's right! Let me feed you my wisdom. Maybe after all this, we can sneak out of work for a drink or something. Hang out at night so no one will see us."

"I'd like that… This pep-talk is really what I needed to make me feel less of a freak, whereas I am one, physically."

Dorian slid his hands down Alexis' curved, resting his hands on her backside. "You're perfect the way you are…" He rubbed her cheeks. "The both of us could do with a bit of _service, _don't you think?"

"What kind of service? We're on a mission-"

Dorian gently pushed her back against the wall behind her. "I am your leader, and your orders are to stand down and relax. Our mission is a real doozy and I want BOTH of us to be at our best. I will make you a better captain, I promise."

"I trust you, Dorian."

"The best worker is a happy worker." Dorian picked her up by her backside, still up against the wall. "You're not suggesting-"

"You'll be surprised how confident you'll feel later once you let loose." He slid his PDA from the inside of his armoured vest and used it for whatever reason. Blips and typing were heard, holding her with his free hand.

_Such strength, _Alexis thought.

Dorian put his PDA back into his vest. "Now that we have some privacy, maybe I could lift some of your stress."

"You're not-"

"Oh, I _am." _Dorian kissed Alexis just as she did, only he did it by total surprise. She didn't know he could be so alluring.

After Dorian slipped Alexis some tongue, her eyes widened from the escalation. Her eyes closed, her breaths were a bit heavier. She had to pull away, leaving him to nip her neck, like _she _was the prey. Her body felt flustered, arms weak. She put her arms around Dorian's head.

"Dorian… please, not here… If someone sees us-"

"That's the lesson here, babe. Not giving a flying fuck. Besides, you're the only thing that matters to me." Dorian bit Alexis' neck a bit harder, she whimpered. "I know you want it as bad as me..."

Alexis breathed. "I'm a virgin… I can't-"

"All those days controlling your urges, Alexis, made you weak," Dorian whispered to her right ear, "I promise you that this _will _make you a better person, and who else should your first time be with other than me? A monster-"

Alexis turned her head back to Dorian. "We're both monsters, and that's why we need to stick together."

Dorian snickered. "That's my girl." He pulled his head away from her shoulder." You've grown up so much… You know what happens next, right?"

Alexis trailed her leathery tongue up Dorian's neck and kissed his lips, her left hand brushing his hair. "I've wanted you for a long time, Dorian, but… the timing just wasn't right for me to…" She hesitated.

"To pop your cherry?"

"That's really not safe for work. So lewd..."

Dorian smiled. "Hey, who's being lewd? You're the one getting wet right now."

"Am I?" Alexis leant back and stared at her crotch, Dorian wasn't lying. "I guess I _am _feeling a bit tingly down there." She smiled.

"Are you now?" Dorian stuffed his right hand down Alexis' panties and rubbed his fingers between her lips; they were hot and moist. She huffed and he felt her body shudder slightly. "How's that?"

"Damn it," Alexis breathed, "you know how to press my buttons..."

"You mean like this?" The heat and moistness guided Dorian's fingertips to Alexis' clit. With a good rub, she wrapped her arms around his, falling into submission.

"Yes, right there..." She breathed and started to kiss Dorian.

"Alex..."

"Dorian..."

Dorian rubbed her raw for a couple of minutes. After that, his fingers down low breached though her lips and found the slimy walls inside, Alexis grunted and mewed like a little bunny rabbit in heat. Her head rocked back, feeling two fingers press on inside her, right up the knuckle. She ceased kissing to draw more breath. Her sticky tongue was radiating the steamy breaths.

"Ah… oh… You're…" Alexis couldn't finish her words and carried on kissing Dorian.

"You want me," Dorian said in between kisses and breathing, "don't you?"

"Mmmmm, hmmm…" she breathed," Yeah, yeah..."

"Say it..."

Dorian pulled his head back and nipped Alexis' neck, twisting his fingers ever so harshly to the right. It was like starting a car, only without a gentle hum of an engine, he had this reptilian beauty shuddering to his mercy. Her legs started shaking.

"I want you inside me, baby." Alexis leant into Dorian and brought his head to hers. To kiss him. To feel his tongue dance with hers. "I want you to be my first..." she breathed.

"Yes, my sweet Alex."


	23. Tasty Huntress (NSFW)

Dorian slid his hand out of Alexis' lips and kept her in place against the wall, both hands firmly on her backside. They carried on to kiss since he was satisfied with her wetness, thinking she was positively _dripping. _He hoisted her body and gently let her down on the cold ground, never breaking the kissing.

Kissing her full lips was better than any other woman's. Her body was thick, packed with muscle. Like her waist and thighs. Those luscious lips were perfect. Her perfect figure drove him insane. Even if her scaly exterior was rough, with the right mood, her body was wetter, warmer and smooth like velvet.

He was on top of Alexis, still kissing her, playing with her tongue and groping her breasts with his hands, often breathing in between. Even with her faults as a monster, she was a perfect mate for him. Wide, birthing hips. Lovely hair. Cute face. He undressed her upper body.

Her tongue was rougher and longer than a human's. Her yellowish underbelly was smooth and slimy, in a good way, similar to her darker green exterior. Her breasts were moist to the touch when he buried his head between them, sucking on her prominent nipples. They were the same texture as her belly. He didn't care; they were smooth.

Alexis' head rolled back, eyes closed, moaning. Dorian licked and kissed his way down her body; she felt his tongue tasting her. Her arms laid out, relaxed. She felt like she was at total bliss, like a hot spring or a good morning nap. Nothing could spoil what she was feeling.

"Eeeek!" Alexis' body flinched when Dorian tore the fragments of her combat trousers.

"It's like Christmas." He chuckled. "Let's see when you have gift-wrapped for me, baby..."

Just like that, Dorian teased Alexis down there with his hot tongue; his breath made her quiver. Slowly trailing it between her lips, that thick tongue… _Oh my God… This feels so good. _"Haahhh!"

"You're so tasty."

Dorian's tongue twisted into her smouldering walls, the juiciness made him press on harder. Digging deep. "Mmmmm… mmmm… mmmmm..." Alexis mewed. "Fuck!" Her eyes closed, forgetting where she was. No longer in the basement of a shithole, she was in the arms of her boyfriend, and she loved it!

He pulled his tongue out of her tasty hole and licked her all over with his thick tongue. Every lick made her body recoil back and set back into place for another. And again. Again. Again. Went on for a couple more minutes. Like he was taking his time licking down a lollipop, trying to get to the centre.

"When you're good and ready," he gasped, "we'll do it together." He forced his tongue back up her fuckhole. It twisted and turned and slithered back in the right spots. The juices wouldn't let up.

"Yes!" Alexis moaned loudly as she bucked and wiggled her hips against his tongue, whimpering in pleasure. Her walls quivered and shook, signalling that she was getting ready to go any minute now. "My head's all… spiny..."

Her savoury love juices tasted sweet. Dorian pulled out his wet tongue and licked her lips all over, top to bottom and through the middle grooves. The slightest movements of pure ecstasy made every twitch and jerk feel more than the last.

"I can't hold it in..." Alexis winced.

Alexis brushed her hair, letting it flow freely and rubbed over her face, moaning. The motion of her gripping and groping her head made Dorian believe something was writhing around inside. She was just in heat, which was strange for a cold-blood.

"Mmm... good girl. I think you're ready." Dorian crawled over Alexis' body and adjusted himself on top of her, his right hand firmly placed over her left shoulder. He pulled out something from his boxers. "I'll let you be on top…" _Heh_, _let her feel like a predator._

"Mmmm, yes, please..."

Dorian sat back and pulled Alexis' weight on top of him, resting her below his waist. His rock-hard member rubbed up against her crotch. She turned her head and nibbled her thumb, still groping her breast. The heat was radiating off her body.

"Oh… What are you going to do to me, baby?" Alexis purred.

"I'm about to release all your sexual urges, my sweet."

Alexis hummed. "I can't wait..." Dorian rolled her back and lifted her over his crotch, she felt her whole body shiver when his head prodded her lips. "Mmmmh… ahn! Hahh… hahh… hahh..." Dorian's cock pressed through her lips, slithering up her vaginal walls like a wet sleeve. She huffed and moaned loudly, eyes snapped open. "Ooooooo… my boyfriend is inside me…" She whimpered. "I love it..."

"Ah, you have such a naughty body."

"Dorian, baby, please be gentle..."

Dorian had a crude smirk on his face; their golden eyes fixed on each other. "Of course, Alex."

It went in inside me, just like that, there was more to come, but I couldn't look down. I wanted his cock for so long and I just couldn't… That cunning smile. The muscles… So sexy. I never felt so attracted to him before. Now we're finally fucking just like in my dreams.

"Fuck me however you want, Alex." Dorian breathed, his hot breath visible in the coldish air. His hands gripped around my waist, giving me some support.

For someone so cold and heartless, he really shows his softer side to me. I suppose hiding our relationship from our employers just fuelled the attraction we shared for each other. Heh, he even showed more intimacy lately, during our _private _meetings. I'll never get tired of kissing and hugging him, even if it was in secret.

"Yes," I breathed, "I wanted this for so long!"

Dorian put his hands up at his sides, flexing his hands. "Go on, ride me. Ride me like a stallion." I couldn't spend all day groping, but I didn't realise how soft my breasts were. I let go and held his hands.

I lifted myself and pressed down on his cock. Two pumps were all I could take before I was overcome with the heat. My head was all empty; I couldn't stop feeling all buzzy. My hands tightened, and Dorian growled lightly, not losing that smile.

"Ha, you're gripping me tight," he chuckled, "and your talons are digging into me."

I breathed shamefully. Rather than human nails, I have sheathed talons in place with the knuckles. Always sharp to the touch. "I'm sorry..."

"Don't be. I like a little pain here and there makes me feel ALIVE!" He cleared his throat. "Sex is like driving a car, Alex. You grip the wheel and go whenever you feel ready."

"Uh, huh. Yeah, sure…"

"I'll be your instructor. Now, loosen your grip a bit and follow my lead..." I listened to him and let go of my tight grasp. He flexed his fingers and sighed, massaging my stressed knuckles. "Good girl. Now, when I push, you lift yourself up and come back down on me. Nice and slow, until you're ready to go on your own."

"Okay..."

When he pushed me up with his hands, I pushed too; he was stronger, and I couldn't match him. I went up, and I came back down as he said. His cock inside me was so hard; it felt so slimy and wet when it massaged my insides. Every thrust hurt.

Honestly, I know I'm rough inside there with me being a Hunter and all, but I guess the scales inside me smooth down as well as my outside. When I get all hot and flustered that is… Glad I didn't skip that class in sex education. He handled me like a real woman – like his queen. He felt what I felt, complete bliss and warmth.

I didn't realise I was fucking him without his help; he wasn't pushing me anymore. I was doing it all on my own, just as he envisioned. It _was_ like riding a car, or at least a bike. I felt sweat rolling down my stomach and thighs. His cock was smouldering hot inside me. I loved every second of it!

I rolled back and let go of his hands; I didn't need his guidance. All the years we've known each other, this was the moment I was saving myself for. My breasts were so massive… I squeezed my soft globes, they couldn't fit in my hands, and the flesh bulged between my fingers.

"Your cock is so much bigger! J-Just by changing the angle a bit..."

"You're one to talk; you have the largest tits I ever seen, Alex…"

"Triple H and proud of it," I breathed. He gripped my waist and lifted me slightly. I pressed down his shaft, feeling all of the ridges scrape against my wet walls. I never want this to end! I want this feeling every hour! Every day!

"Damn girl… You're tight..." He rolled his head back and worked with my hips. He would pull out as I did, and then we come together. In unison. As one.

He was hitting all the right spots inside me. I squeezed my breast until they hurt, at least my talons wouldn't puncture my skin. My beautiful globes… "Mmm… mmmhh… mhmmm..."

"Every time you move, our juices flow everywhere..."

"Ohhhhh… yesssss..."

He chuckled. "Looks like I drew your first blood..."

"Ah… oh… great… Now I feel like a real woman..."

He bent his legs behind me, I put my left hand over his knee, still holding that lush breast of mine. I haven't had this much fun teasing them since the last time I bathed. When they get soapy and lathered up… I get distracted. No one has tits bigger than mine, and I just can't help loving my body. Would be better for my self-esteem if I pleased my self more often...

I was able to lift my weight with my left arm easy, slamming down on my Dorian's cock as hard as he wanted it. The smacking sounds our bodies made was like ecstasy to his ears; I love seeing him happy, making me feel all flustered. I can truly love myself. To have that motivation and pride, it's intoxicating!

It felt like ten minutes I was speaking inside my head, and I was still fucking him all slow. Not bad for a virgin but I wanted more! The wetness inside me was roasting me alive, and it wasn't enough! I paused for a few seconds to breathe, he decided to get some in to. Juggling my mass wasn't easy, with me being on the heavy side.

Dorian sighed blissfully. "Thanks… I'm losing my head down here..."

"You can handle it, baby, you're the best!"

He tightly gripped my ass. "Mmmm, and don't you forget it!"

I let go of my breast and put both hands on deck, right on his knees. "Time to go faster..." I breathed some more.

"Naturally..."

"Mmm, ahh, haahhn!"

I feel like I was in heaven… I was going up and down quicker now; his cock was steaming like it was on fire! The sound of me slamming into him was like the sound of punching meat. Our sweaty bodies were making things run smoother, smelling delicious.

"I love your cock, baby!"

"You should." He bit his lip. "He's been waiting to meet you for a long time..."

"Mmm… mmm… ohhh..."

I was going a _lot _faster now… My hands tightened over his knees, his tightened on my waist. He had pads, and my hide was tough. We loved the feeling of euphoria. The pain and pleasure were on point. He grunted with every thrust; I groaned coming down. We'd pull back and crash into each other. He was impaling me with that hard cock of his.

"Ooohhhhh... Alex!"

"Dorian..." I breathed.

Two minutes at this pace was getting to me; after all, I'm only a beginner. Good thing too, he felt bigger when I changed angles, and felt like he was tearing something up inside me. It actually hurt, almost felt like I was going to cry. When I did, I chose to. I was overflowing with emotions. I felt his balls slapping my ass.

"I want your cock inside me forever..." The weight of my tits was dragging me down, too heavy. Bouncing around in the cold air made me all jiggly and stuff.

He thrust into me like he wanted to skewer me with that damn cock of his. I felt like I was going to be bucked off, but I had a firm hold on him. He'd do that every time I come down his wet shaft. The juices were getting everywhere now.

"Mmmm… ooohhh… Ahaaa… Ahh!"

He was stretching me out like a glove. He pulled me down and thrust into me harder than earlier and growled. Thrust again. Again. Again. I saw his eyes glimmer. Getting red and more intense… The panting of something short of a feral beast, saliva drooled from his hungry mouth, yet, he meant no harm, even if he looked more intimidating.

"Dorian!" I panted and moaned. I clamped down on his shaft, not wanting him to pull out yet. I felt like I was going to explode down there! Can women actually cum? Is that what humans my age call it?

I bounced on him, hot and heavy. His hands gripped my tits; he wasn't smiling; he had the look of a predator. He saw me as fair game… This was going on for several minutes. I recoiled off a bit and felt him thrust his entire length inside me. He was slamming into my cervix; it felt like it was going to break!

Crying… I started to cry, salty tears flowing down my cheeks. I wanted the pain to stop. Like how those leech monsters bit and torn me earlier, but it felt too good to stop! I wanted him to fuck me so hard! I wanted him to break me like no woman has been broken before! I whipped my head back, cheering his name!

"You little minx!" He grunted, snarling like an animal. I flinched, still lost in the moment. "You are a real monster like me, and I love it!"

He loves it? I whimpered, feeling touched. He _does _have feelings for me… "I love it too..."

Dorian snarled, thrusting into me harder I almost felt like I was going to fly off. I didn't. His hips jerked into me, and he growled loudly.

"Yes… Fill me up, baby!" I cried, "Mark me with your scent!" I felt his cock exploding inside me, at the same time I came too, splattering his crotch with my juices. I screamed in pleasure, feeling that that hot seed fill my insides. "Ah, I feel it!"

He jerked into me, grunting. One hand on my waist and the other on my breast, tightening so much like a vice. He thrust into me, emptying himself into me like a savage animal… "Tight, tight, tight! Yeah!"

My body felt all tingly, something warm coursed inside me and made me feel all dizzy. My head was soaring above the clouds… I body was bucking in agony. "Fuck me..." I lost my breath.

"You belong to _me _now, my sweet Alex…"

"Yes, my master… I am for you, and _only _you..."

I pushed myself from him and collapsed onto my back, the ground was cold and hard. I didn't care. I just got laid and it was perfect! He flexed his legs. I was so tired, feeling absolutely stuffed. My stomach ached and my body was going full supernova. I groped my breast and couldn't help myself moaning.

He climbed over me and started to kiss me. I gave him my tongue, and he played with it. We breathed in unison, eyes closed an' all. My tail stuffed itself into my quivering cunt, feeling his love juices slosh around deep. I could still feel his cock echo inside me. I hugged Dorian tight.

He pushed himself up and loomed over me. His hand firmly placed over my shoulder. "Heh, was that as good for you as it was for me?"

I nodded. "I loved every second, baby." I twisted my my tail in good, mewing like an injured pup. I let go of him and ran my hands over my curvy, sweaty body over to my tits. After my tail pulled out, I squeezed my girls.

"I'm glad you do, Alex. I see you're positively glowing." He slid his hands over my clit and plunged his fingers up my juicy walls, they squelched around in there and I bloody thrived on it. The smell. The sound. Everything! He twisted and turned them sharply. He was stuffing me. "You're so full in there..."

"Yeah..." I smiled, closing my eyes. "You came a lot..."

"I'll say. My body was feeling a bit neglected, waiting for you, babe. I'm glad we both worked up an appetite." He smiled. My eyes opened slowly, they met his. "Worth every second."

"I'm sorry we couldn't have this fun sooner..." I still had my hands on my tits, my senses were clearing up. "I wasn't ready."

His fingers slithered out of me, and then I was hushed by them; they stank of our juices. Just like that, I felt my mind going a bit hazy; my instincts were stirring up. I moaned. "We're together now, that's all that matters."

"Uhhhh..." I just couldn't help it. I sucked his fingers; I wanted to _savour_ every last drop. He breathed softly and thrust his fingers into my mouth. I gulped.

"Damn girl… I feel your throat massaging my fingers can give a guy some ideas…

I didn't want to hurt him. I know how sharp my teeth and the scales are, but during intimacy, I think my body adjusts to the occasion. My instinct made me suckle his fingers like a baby. What can I say? I spent a lot of time teething and not enough time suckling as an infant. With no mother, I had nary a tit to suck.

"You're gonna deepthroat my whole hand if you're not careful, girl," he chuckled. He took his fingers out of my mouth and I gasped for air.

"I'm sorry..."

"That will continue another day." Dorian shook his hand dry and stood up over Alexis, showing off his height and length. She looked up at him with a blank stare. "Gorgeous, aren't I?" He snickered.

Alexis shook her head, staring at her chest, her hands were still clutching her breasts like there was no tomorrow. "Oh… We should probably get moving now..."

Dorian reached down to her, holding out his hand. "Let me."

Alexis waved his hand away and sat up, staring down her curvy body. "Damn, I'm so stuffed."

"Not everyone has a stallion like me for a boyfriend. Now let's get you up." Dorian grabbed Alexis by her left shoulder and lifted her to her feet, despite her protesting. She was quite heavy but nothing he couldn't handle.

"Well, thanks for the lift."

"No probs." Alexis stood at Dorian's side as he flexed his various muscles. She was almost clad naked, only saved by her vest. The bones in his back and shoulders cricked. "Now, let me dressed accordingly, and we'll continue the mission."

"Anything for me to wear?" Alexis said, with her hands on her hips. Dorian found it hard to take her seriously with the white stuff dripping down her leg.

"Uhm… I didn't plan on bringing a second pair with me. Command thought you were K.I.A."

"I don't blame them. Is there _anything _you can give me; I cannot walk around naked."

"I'm sure you're undergarments will do, for now." Dorian smiled; she didn't share his amusement.

Alexis huffed, knowing they were torn and could barely keep together. "Wonderful..."


	24. Guilt

_Benton caught the loud announcement just after he climbed up the ladder. He glanced between Billy and Rebecca, expecting questions to be fired off in his direction since he was associated with Umbrella, much like the facility._

_Benton wasn't in the mood for twenty questions. Before giving anyone the chance to ask, he decided to fill in some of the blanks. He walked up to Rebecca, who at the time, was patching up Jared and Evie._

_"Just to clear the air here, I don't know a thing about this place, or who the hell that was." Benton glanced back around the stairs, noticing Alexis hadn't followed them up the ladder. She was still down in the tunnel._

_He did feel a little guilty for what he said to her. He didn't want to make things more difficult because he disagreed with her. Wasn't hard to notice that she was the sensitive type when handling difficult situations and organising missions._


	25. Entering Training Centre

The heated moment Dorian and Alexis were sharing would only be naturally interrupted by the mission at hand. Shortly after putting on the leftovers of her combat trousers, Alexis could hear Dorian's earpiece receive an incoming call; she could hear the soft beep at the start.

"General Savage here."

_"This is Wesker_," he said over the earpiece, _"Have you reached the Training Centre yet?"_

"In the tunnel now."

"_For some reason, I _can't _see that. The surveillance is down..."_

"Oh… pity… In any case, I just regrouped with Captain Daemith."

_"I dare say you took your damn time getting ready," _Wesker almost snarled, even if he did, he was not very threatening over a radio. "_You're_ _falling behind."_

"I _assure _you, I'm doing what's required for a hundred percent success. The poor girl needed some strict motivation and-"

_"Get your team together and do what's necessary to get the job done. You are not helping yourself with this imperfection, General."_

Dorian sighed, rolled his eyes to Alexis and silently mocked Wesker by mimicking him. "I'm finishing up now, Dr Wesker, I won't waste any more time."

_"Make good on that claim, General. Your time _is _limited, and our patience is wearing thin." _Wesker ended his transmission and left Dorian without a smile.

"Was that command?"

Dorian smiled at her. "Yeah… Wesker is grinding my balls hard."

"Good ol' Wesker. I imagine Birkin is too."

"Yup, like the old married couple they are. You ready to continue?"

Alexis tugged at her trousers; they were held together only by a paper clip Other than that, she still had her vest on, only it wouldn't zip back up. Bra, panties, well, they were fubar. Most of her clothes burned during the train's derailment.

"I need to find something better to wear."

"We don't have the luxury of time, but we will find something more suitable during the mission. Business _is _before pleasure."

Alexis shook her head side to side wistfully. "Pleasure… My head was soaring through the clouds... My mind was in the state of euphoria..."

"Happens with a lot of girls. At least you feel better. Just needed some _positive _reinforcements."

"I don't have a care in the world right now..."

Alexis moved forward and kissed Dorian on the lips. She latched onto him tighter than usual; his back hurt and felt all scratched up. Something was poking him hard in the back. He gently pried Alexis off; her skin shuddered under his fingertips.

Alexis felt shamed and brushed her messy hair back over her right ear. "I'm sorry..."

"Don't worry about it. It's how couples _express _their intimacy."

Alexis looked up. "In the heat of the moment, I feel stronger. My eyes were opened. No cares. No worries. I feel so much better now."

Dorian let go of her and checked out her ample figure, top to bottom. The torn leftovers were better than being buck naked. "As much as I don't mind seeing your body, you'd be posing as a combat risk if you don't find something to wear. You know that, right?"

"Yes, General."

"Best worry about that first."

Dorian adjusted his groin and belt, putting everything where it had to go. The several pouches around his waist were loaded with reserve clips, same as the ones connected to the straps over his shoulders.

Alexis could see the sheathed knife on his back and a couple of red grenades in smaller pockets connected to a band around his forearms. The armour he wore was different, a titanium vest with kneepads and elbowpads. His MP5 was slung over his right shoulder and he looked back at Alexis who was waiting.

"Ready?" he asked, nicely with a smile.

Alexis looked down at her leftover uniform. The warmth was a painful loss since she was cold-blooded; at least she was still armoured. "As ready as I'll ever be."

"You armed?"

Alexis patted her hip holster. "My magnum's all I got left."

"That'll do." Dorian's silenced MP5N was loaded with hollow-point rounds, with his good Browning HP loaded with cop killers. Armour piercing. _She'll be fine. _"Let's go." Dorian brushed past Alexis and walked to the door behind her.

The fumes of the sewer water hit Dorian like a freight train, his heightened sense of smell was battered with the rotting stench of waste, food and even had a slight aftertaste of sulphur. He dropped into the dark, murky waters first with Alexis close by him like a faithful bodyguard; she needed to learn from the best and study how he works.

Iron bars blocked the way ahead and behind in this dank tunnel. He pointed out the ladder for Alexis to start climbing and walked to the bars ahead. Dorian slid his gloved fingers around one of the bars and pulled it back, testing its strength. He didn't strain at all, was like plucking the wings off a fly.

The bar came off. He discarded the curved bar at his feet and gripped the bar next to the one he ripped off. He pulled the second bar off a lot quicker and threw it away. There was enough room for anyone with a huge bust to squeeze through. With it being so dark ahead, it wasn't worth trekking through - just a bit of curiosity.

Alexis let Dorian take the lead and climb the ladder first. She matched his pace and stayed close by his feet. "What was down there?"

Dorian stopped and looked down at her, twisting his body around. "Nothing. It just wasn't marked on the area map. Thought it could be a short-cut, but knowing my luck we'd get lost or off track." He resumed climbing with her.

In time halfway up the ladder, Alexis noticed something red on Dorian's back. The red and white Umbrella logo on his armour was heavily scratched with deep claw marks cut through. She saw the blood dripping through the grooves of the layered metals.

"You're bleeding."

"Am I?" Dorian stopped again and twisted his body around to feel up his back better. His finger ran along the cavity; the grooves were smooth and precise.

"I think that was me..." Alexis said sheepishly.

"You think?" He chuckled. "Worst sex injury I ever had mind you." He started climbing again, at a slower pace. "Did feel my back hurting earlier."

"It was my first time..."

"I drew the first blood; it's only fair."

"You're so lewd..."

"Ha! You love it."

Alexis murmured in acknowledgement. "So what are the mission details anyway? If they're important enough to have Wesker, not in the best of moods I assume, order you down here, why haven't you disclosed them to me? Are they classified?"

"Not at all, in fact, we're gonna need all the help we can get. Even from those nosy trespassers."

"Oh... Benton said those people could do more harm than good."

"I agree. Considering the circumstances, however… I'm afraid we might have to work with them. The extra human resources could come in handy, but don't worry, we'll get rid of them once they have served their purpose. Or if they get suspicious, whatever comes first." Dorian chuckled at his little inside joke, which got worse the more he thought about it.

Sounds much more convincing from you." Alexis smiled. "I cannot wait to get back out there. I need to earn Benton's trust. It's... important to me."

"I'm sure it is. I'll go over the mission once we regroup with him."

"Guess this is the part where we hide our relationship? Again..."

"I'm sorry my big, beautiful predator, that's the way it has to be… for now, at least."

Alexis frowned. "I know… I'm glad you still care."


End file.
